RWBY: Rise of Kombat Clans
by freephysic17
Summary: The era of Mortal Kombat has ended. Peace between Earthrealm and the Neatherrealm is now in order. However as the years go by a new enemy threatens the peace of Earthrealm, which is now called Remnant. Now the new generation of Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei must prepare to stop this new threat. Can they stop it, or will Remnant fall into the ashes? May change to Rated M 'cause of MK.
1. Trailer

RWBY: Rise of Kombat Clans Trailer

(Opening Scene)

Ruby was walking along side Changming. The two were walking on the docks.

(Scene change)

"Blake! Come back!" yelled Mario.

"She's gone Mario. Give her some time," Changming said as he placed a hand on Mario's shoulder.

(Scene change)

"Get over here!" yelled Tadashi.

Bingwen ducked underneath the on-coming kunai attached to the chain. He then shot an ice beam at Tadashi. Tadashi smirked and he used a mini fireball on the ice beam.

(Scene change)

"Sub Zero!" yelled an individual.

Both Changming and Bingwen turned around to see an older girl their senior walk up to them. She had shades on and had on a unique school uniform with some style added to it.

(Scene change)

"If I ever find you hurting another faunus on this campus, or anywhere outside school grounds, I will have your head Cardin," Tadashi sneered at the bully who was now quivering in fear on the ground.

(Scene change)

"Do you believe in fairy tales Changming?" asked Ruby as she looked down at her hands in her lap.

Changming looked at her and then back up to the setting sun.

"I do Ruby," he simply replied, "I do indeed."

Ruby then smiled and laid her head upon his right shoulder.

RWBY: Rise of Kombat Clans


	2. Prologue

Prologue

It's been centuries since the era of the Mortal Kombat. Earthrealm was saved and the tournament of Mortal Kombat finally came to an end. As the world finally reached peace, the people of society changed because of technology. With technology rapidly growing on the rise, the magic and supernatural powers of each generation's previous ancestors became forgotten. With the techniques and ancient ways forgotten, the people of the generations to come relied heavily on technology thus creating weapons that didn't rely on magic or the unique abilities that some of the clans from the past had.

Two of the greatest warriors and kombatants from the era of Mortal Kombat were known as Scorpion and Sub-Zero. Their real names respectively were Hanzo Hasashi Mitome and Bi-Han. The two came from rival clans and were personally rivals with one another for the greatest and longest of time. Once peace was found and the necessity of Mortal Kombat was no longer needed, the two ninjas came to an accord and had mutual respect for each other.

Scorpion was released from his imprisonment of being reborn into a "monster", and eventually found another family that he raised. Sub-Zero was released from his imprisonment of being an undead specter, and eventually found him a family too and continued down the line of his clan. Sub-Zero also had a younger brother named Kuai Lang who was referred to Young Sub-Zero was also released from being a cyborg shortly after his brother's release. Kuai Lang was returned to the land of the living by the powers of the Elder Gods.

The two clans were allies, but that didn't mean that the future generations of each clan were not rivals. In fact, the rivalry that Sub-Zero and Scorpion had continued down through their bloodline. Today, their great grandchildren live together in the Kingdom of Vale. The two clans formed a little settlement in the nearby forests area of the City of Vale. This settlement grew over time with the families of the new generations of Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei expanding due to the contact of the "outsiders" of the village. Settlers looking for a place to stay were accepted by both clans and their respective leaders, thus forming the new generations of each clan. Eventually there was a boundary set for the two clans, but this never caused any trouble or upset over land boundaries because both clans were very welcoming of each other. Even with the boundary, the clans ignored it most of the time.

There are four distinct houses that belong to the new generation of Hasashis and Langs. Three belong to the great grandchildren of both Sub-Zeros and the other to Scorpion. The fourth belongs to another grandchild of a great warrior and ninja during the days of Sub-Zero and Scorpion. The other warrior's name was Tomas Vrbada, or as most at that time knew him as Smoke. He served as the right hand man of the youngest Sub Zero, who became the grandmaster of the Lin Kuei Clan.

He too, like the youngest Sub-Zero, was captured and turned into a cyborg for the Lin Kuei's program to "upgrade" their warriors, but he was returned from his imprisonment as a request from the Thunder God Raiden to the Elder Gods. After his resurrection, he managed to settle down and find a family and continued his lineage once the days Mortal Kombat was over.

After the death of the previous grandmaster of the Lin Kuei, Kuai Lang became the new Grandmaster. The distant relation between the two brothers did indeed decrease, but their love for each other could not be called "love". It was more of a feeling of mutual respect and honor. Nevertheless, this mutual feeling eventually turned back into the true meaning of family love during the years after their death. Each generation of Sub-Zeros changed the ways that their great grandfathers once lived.

With the new earth, or now called Remnant, at peace there was no need to continue to use magic and other sorcery. However the members of these two clans and the generations that followed after the two grandmasters and their friends up until this point in the story, have continued on with their ways of using the elements of ice, smoke, and fire. They continued to teach the ways of the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu respectively. Everything that each generation of Lin Kuei or Shirai Ryu learned was indeed what was taught to the original founders of the "new" versions of the clans today.

Hanzo Mitome's great grandchild is known as Tadashi Mitome. He has medium brown hair and green eyes unlike that of his great grandfather. He stands at a height of five feet and ten inches. He had a scar that ran across his right cheek after having an encounter with an Ursa in the forest one day. Bi-Han's great grandchild, the eldest of the two Sub-Zeros, was named Bingwen-Han. He had black hair and pale blue eyes like his great grandfather. He stood at a height of six feet. Unlike his great grandfather, he did not have a scar that ran down the right side of his face. In fact, Bingwen did not have a scar at all.

Kuai Lang, the youngest Sub-Zero, had a great grandchild that went by the name of Changming Lang. Compared to his older cousin; Changming had dirty blonde hair and had slightly brighter blue eyes than his older cousin. Due to the fact that Kuai's family tree consisted of "outsiders", Changming had different genes in him than just the traditional Chinese lineage. He stood at five feet and nine inches. Like his older cousin, he did not have any scars. The last grandchild was from Tomas' lineage. His name was Mario Vrbada. Mario was of Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese decent. He had the smoky gray or silver hair that his great grandfather Smoke had, and he had the same gray eyes of his great grandfather.

The four great grandchildren lived together in the forest and trained together everyday to become great ninjas like their ancestors before them. The generations before them had always stuck to the forest and never really lived anywhere else but such the said place. The only times they left the forest was during family reunions with their other family members. However, the fathers of these children in the present day and age wanted that to change for their children.

All of them, with the exception of Changming were now old enough to enter into academies throughout the various kingdoms in Remnant and learn how to fight and become hunters and huntresses. Their fathers from the previous generation were well-educated men, but they never went out into the world and became professional hunters. Rather these men did other things by helping others locally and doing other menial detailed work. Their mothers however were quite the opposite and learned how to become professional huntresses.

Not all of them however chose the path of a professional huntress. In fact, Mario's mother was the only one out of the four mothers who chose to continue down the path of being true huntress. Mario and his father never saw her a lot, but she was still part of the family no less and was there for her family during important holidays.

All four families gathered around one evening in the center of their "little village" and spoke to the four boys about their decisions. However, they wanted to see what the boys had to say about their decisions as a family and see if they agreed with their views. Three of the four boys agreed to this proposition, however Mario was the only one who questioned the decision. Mario was wondering if he would have to wait a year while the others were off at whatever school they chose to attend.

His mother, who happened to be off-duty at the time, suggested that she would try to get him and the others admitted to Beacon Academy here in Vale. She knew the headmaster of the academy pretty well, and she guaranteed that he would listen to her request since they were friends. The other members of the other respective families agreed with her idea and left it in her hands. After that meeting, she immediately left to go back into her house and make the phone call to the headmaster right away.

In about a month's time, the headmaster gave her a call back right before she was off to another huntress mission. He said that he would admit them in as long as they passed an entrance test that he would give them. Mario's mother agreed to this proposal and then consulted with her husband and Mario while still on the phone. Once the three all agreed, which didn't take too long, she gave the headmaster confirmation that her son would take his test. Once she and the headmaster got everything arranged with her son, she then hung up and went to her friends and family next door and spoke with them about her friend's proposition.

The Mitomes, Hans, and Vrbadas agreed to this idea on the spot, but the Lang family questioned whether or not their son could also take the test and enroll with the others due to the fact that Changming was a year younger than the other boys. Mario's mother immediately went back to make another phone call with the headmaster and confirmed the other three's acceptance of his test, but she also questioned whether her nephew could also attempt at the test and attend his academy. The head master on the other line smirked and told her that he is willing to accept her nephew as long as he is up to the challenge.

With that answer, she immediately went over to her brother-in-law's house and spoke with them. Her brother-in-law and sister-in-law agreed, but they all waited for Mario's answer. He agreed to this since he didn't really want to get left behind by the people he knew best and could compete with to make him stronger. And with that, the four great grandchildren were on their way to becoming hunters and the best ninjas of their clans they could be.

Little did they know however they were going to partake in another game of life and death. This new threat was not as great as the days of Mortal Kombat, but it is going to test their skills that could destroy peace and freedom of this new and improved earth. Evil shall rise once more and walk upon the grounds of Remnant. Can the current line of the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu stop this evil force? Or will Remnant Fall?

This is RWBY: The Rise of Kombat Clans.


	3. Meeting Ruby Rose

Chapter 1: Meeting Ruby Rose

It was another night in the City of Vale. Many people were out and about minding their own business. Suddenly from the darkness, a man in a bowler hat appeared from the shadows of an alleyway with about twenty other men in black suits with different assortments of weapons following behind him. As they walked down the street they were currently on, the other bystanders began clearing a path of them to pass through. They were currently headed for a store called _From Dawn Until Dusk_. Little did these men known that they were about to do something they would later regret having done.

In _From Dawn Until Dusk_ …

Changming was currently inside the store looking around. He was observing everything in the store and was deciding on what he needed to help him survive Beacon Academy. His mother had insisted for him to get some new clothes and other items that he could take with him that he would think would be necessary. He sighed as he grabbed a couple of snacks, particularly cool mint gum. He then walked around to the other isle, which was an isle full of some books and magazines.

He was wearing a slight variation of his great grandfather's fighting robes. He was wearing a mask on his face, but he had a blue hoodie that was customized to have his great grandfather's warrior appeal. He was wearing black training pants and black leather boots that reached his ankles. He had his hood down, but he still kept the mask on.

He turned the corner to walk down the magazine and book isle. Once he turned the corner, he blinked for a second and then he stopped in his tracks to see a girl with red blackish hair standing at the end of the isle. She was listening to music while looking through a weapons magazine of some sort. She looked like she was about a year or two younger than him.

This girl had pale white skin. She had a black and crimson Red Riding Hood looking attire on her. She had a combat skirt on with black tights underneath, and she had black boots that went up to her shins. She also had a giant red object attached to her back. She was humming a tune from the song she was currently listening to. The most striking feature to Changming was that her eyes were silver.

Changming stood in place for a good minute or so as he was observing and studying this girl. He kept looking at her silver eyes as he was trying to remember something about those with silver eyes. His grandfather of his father had once told him about the uniqueness of those who possess silver eyes. However it wasn't clear to him as this information was given to him years ago.

Changming was brought out of his trance when the sound of the store's bell was rug indicating that another customer had entered the store. Changming slowly walked towards the end of the isle without bumping into the girl, and he looked around the end shelf to see the man with the bowler hat and his goons. The man in the bowler hat began to speak to the owner of the store, and one of the goons to his left held up a gun temporarily to intimidate the owner. The owner held his hands up in the air and began to panic. He told the bowler hat man to take his money, but the man insisted that they didn't need his money. Instead, he ordered his goons to go steal the dust from the store. Changming had stealthily moved into a hiding spot in the store and placed his hood back over his head.

As he went into hiding, he noticed that one of the goons noticed the girl in the store. He watched as the goon slowly approached the girl and tried to tell her to put her hands up in the air. Changming was about to go over and knock the guy out, but for some reason he felt that he should just let things take their current course, so he did just that. When the man tapped the girl's shoulder, she gave him her full-undivided attention. When she asked him if he was attempting to rob her, Changming face palmed. However what happened next, surprised him slightly. The next thing he knew, and everyone in the store knew, the young girl had burst through the front window of the store with the man below her feet unconscious. Everyone stopped what he was doing and turned his or her attention to the young girl who now had a giant scythe in hand. Changming looked at her in amazement.

After that minute of awkward silence, the bowler hat man ordered the rest of the goons to go get her. They surrounded her in a circle. She smirked at the sight of this, but then her smirk faded into a look of astonishment. Four of the nineteen goons suddenly became frozen in blocks of ice. The rest of the men who were ready to take on the red hooded girl all looked at each other with confused looks on their faces. Suddenly Changming came out from the store and lightly chopped one of the unfrozen goons making him go unconscious. The sound of the man falling upon the concrete ground had everyone turn his or her eyes upon him. He stepped over the man's unconscious body and stood about two feet away from the rest of the present guests.

"What warriors you are," he began with mockery in his voice, "to pick on a young girl such as her. Where is your honor and pride? If you wish to pick a fight, then you will fight someone with equal honor and skill as yourselves."

He then got into his fighting stance, which resembled that of his great grandfather Bi-Han himself. The rest of the goons standing with clueless expressions turned their attention upon the man with the bowler hat. He simply rolled his eyes and groaned in irritancy with their stupidity. He nodded while face palming, and the goons began to advance towards Changming. Once the closest goon was about a mere foot or less away from Changming, he swung his club down to strike the young Sub-Zero in the head. Changming dodged the easy attack and elbowed the man in the face and broke his nose. The goon grunted in pain and had both of his hands in front of his face.

Changming then punched him in the gut and then did a roundhouse kick to the man's jaw as the man keeled over in pain in his lower abdomen. The next two idiots tried attacking simultaneously, but that failed too as the two ended up knocking each other out with their respective weapons of choice. Just as Changming was about to attack the next set of henchmen, the girl in red began helping him by attacking eight of the others who were in the back of the group preparing to fight him. Changming soon discovered that this little girl could fight just as much as he could. She was fast, as in as fast as lighting, but she was still learning and some of her movements were a bit sloppy. From his point of view however, this girl was a league ahead of the average person at her age in terms of combat level and skill level.

The two made short work of the henchman and then turned their attention towards the man in the bowler hat. He was slightly amused by what he had just witnessed, but he was still annoyed because he plans didn't go smoothly. Once he noticed their attention was on him, he spoke up.

"Well 'Red' and 'Ice Boy'," he said in a tone of mockery, "it's been quite fun, but this is the end of the road."

The quickly flipped his cane at them, and a tiny but noticeably red aiming sight popped up. Changming and the girl went wide-eyed as they released that his cane was also a gun. The man smirked and fired the explosive round at "Red" who stood in place. She shut her eyes and waited in anticipation of the round hitting her, but the impact never came. Instead, she heard the sound of ice forming and then the collision of the round and the explosion after it had hit whatever protected her from the round. She opened her eyes and saw that the boy who could form ice from his hands had made a shield of ice and protected her from getting hit by the explosive. The shield of ice shattered upon impact, and it created a little bit of mist, which distracted the two youngsters momentarily.

Once it cleared up, they noticed that the man in the bowler hat had used the distraction to make his getaway. The two were about to give up, but they then heard a sound of a clang against metal. The two looked up at a side of a building and saw that the bowler hat man was climbing an escape ladder up to the building's roof.

The girl in red looked at the shop's owner and asked, "You mind if I go after him?"

The owner shook his head and the girl went ahead and gave chase to the thief. Changming sighed and followed the younger girl in pursuit of the man in the bowler hat. A few moments later they both were standing in the middle of the roof while the man in the bowler hat was standing at the edge of the building's roof. The redhead got to the rooftop faster than Changming and called the bowler hat man out. Changming arrived shortly after she had gotten the bowler hat man's attention.

He growled and mumbled, "Hmph. Persistent aren't we?"

Just then the three heard the sound of an aircraft's engine arise from behind the building. It was a bullhead, and the man in the bowler hat smirked at this. The driver waited for him to board the aircraft, and as soon as he did, the pilot raised the aircraft about twenty feet in the air. The man in the bowler hat turned around and showed his cocky smirk at the two.

He said to them, "End of the line you two!"

He then threw a red crystal of fire dust at the two and then sent an explosive round after it. The new generation Sub Zero went in front of the younger red head to protect her from the blast, but it wasn't necessary as another figure got in the way of the explosive and round. This newcomer was an older woman with piercing green eyes and blonde hair tied into a bun. She wore a pair of glasses, a white blouse, a black business skirt, brownish leggings, and black knee-high boots. She also wore a violet-black cape behind her. The redhead's expression turned into one of happiness, while Changming simply raised his eyebrow and still stood in his combat ready stance.

The man in the bowler hat was laughing manically thinking he had gotten rid of the two inconveniences, but his smirk turned into a scowl when he saw the older woman. The blonde woman waived the shield away and pointed her riding crop, which was also her wand, at the bullhead while adjusting her glasses. The woman casted a spell that shot out purple energy bullets at the bullhead. This caused the bullhead's pilot some trouble steering the aircraft, and the bowler hat man to stumble around in the back of the cockpit. He stumbled his way to the actual cockpit and told the pilot that a huntress was present. The individual piloting the bullhead immediately left the control systems for him to deal with, and went to attend to the problem currently on the roof.

The blonde woman now identified as a huntress casted another spell that went above the bullhead. She had created a storm over the aircraft. With a swift downward motion with her riding crop, she had sent a hailstorm of crystal like substances with pointed edges sharp enough to pierce through the toughest of metals. The spell did just that. The crystals had penetrated the metal aircraft, but it still didn't go down. In fact, one of the crystals was close enough to hitting the bowler hat man in the head, but he luckily dodged the on-coming projectile.

The mysterious pilot who was flying the bullhead earlier finally appeared on the middle of the aircraft. Changming squinted at the person who now stood ready to face this huntress. Even though this person was covered by the shadows of the bullhead, he could make out that this individual was a woman. He saw that she wore a simple red dress with strange markings on the upper part of her dress, and that she only wore heals with an anklet on her right ankle. The blonde huntress's expression got even more serious.

The mysterious woman in the bullhead then sent a fireball at the huntress who simply parried it with her purple barrier. However the attack didn't stop there. The bit of energy from the fireball that landed around the huntress began glowing and eventually got bigger in diameter. The mysterious woman then made a gesture with her hand signaling for her attack to rise. This was similar to that of the ancient Scropion's, or Hanzo Hasashi's summoning of a Netherrealm demon to grab his opponent from the ground below. The attack glowed brighter and was about to go off, but the huntress jump back and did a back flip handstand away from the spot of the coming attack.

Once she landed on both of her feet, the blonde huntress readjusted herself as quickly as possible, and made another spell that used those same energy bits into a sort of spear that was going directly for the bullhead. The mysterious woman blasted the spear into bits and pieces once more, but as she did so, the huntress quickly countered by making another spear from the same bits of energy and had it go in the direction of the bullhead again. The bowler hat man titled the bullhead at a slight left angle and the energy spear bounced off the bullhead causing minor damage. The energy spear broke off into several smaller pieces and the huntress made them into snake-like spears that were circling around the bullhead.

The mysterious woman saw this and made a counter attack that obliterated the spears into oblivion. The blonde huntress gritted her teeth. Ruby saw this and had a face of concern. She then transformed her scythe into a heavy caliber gun and she fired three or so shots at the mysterious woman. The woman simply deflected the rounds with her right hand as if the rounds were nothing but paper. Changming stepped up next and shot some ice at the bullhead. His main intention was to distract the woman and have her think that he was simply trying to take down the bullhead. This plan worked as he sent various ice beams in multiple directions at the bullhead. The woman attempted to counter these attacks with mini fireballs of her own.

As she did this, Changming smirked from behind his mask and shot an ice beam directly at the woman's right arm. He managed to do so, but it was short lived as the woman was indeed caught off guard and caught in his plan, but her dress glowed once more and flames erupted from her entire arm and hand destroying the ice trap. She then waived her arm over the rooftop and another set of ground spells brightened from beneath the trio's feet. Changming was the first to notice. He then grabbed the younger redhead's shoulders from behind and used his great grandfather's signature ice coffin to disappear from the brightening circles. The blonde huntress summersaulted forward to avoid the attack. As Changming and the young redhead reappeared from the ground, and the huntress firmly planted her feet, the bullhead was flying away. All the three could do was watch as the two criminals flew away in the distance.

The blonde woman's face went stern again as she watched the aircraft fly away. Changming watched as well and cursed himself for letting an enemy of this world's peace get away from him. He then heard a squeal from the redhead and turned his attention towards her. Her back was turned towards him and she was facing the huntress that stood before them.

The redhead girl spoke with a fangirl voice and exclaimed, "You're a huntress! Can I get your autograph?"

Changming sighed and mentally face palmed. This girl was just attacked, and she's asking for an autograph. She was a strange one.

A few moments later…

Changming found himself in an interrogation room along with his redhead companion. The blonde huntress was currently scolding the both of them for their actions this evening. The huntress was storming around with her hands at her sides clenched in small fists.

"I hope that you realize that both of you're actions will not be taken lightly young lady and young man!" she said in a scolding yet quick tone. "You two put yourselves and others in great danger."

The younger girl attempted to retaliate with, "But they started it!"

Changming rolled his eyes at the young redhead's attempt to make the situation more reasonable than it actually was. While he agreed with her that the goons started the fight, he did have to agree with the huntress that he and the redhead had put themselves in a dangerous situation, let alone there were other innocent bystanders in the surrounding area too. He was standing and leaning against the back wall behind the girl and older woman. The redhead girl was sitting in a silver metal chair with a silver metal table in front of her.

The woman, having ignored the younger girl's counter argument, continued on with her rant as Changming put it silently in his mind.

"It were up to me," she said a bit more calmly, "you'd be sent home with a pat on the back…"

 _"Wait for it,"_ Changming said internally.

"…and," the huntress continued, "a slap on the wrist."

She then quickly slapped the metal table with her riding crop, and the girl quickly took her hands off the table.

 _"Knew it,"_ Changming continued himself.

The blonde huntress stood at the doorway and sighed.

"However someone is here to meet the two of you," she said and walked away from the doorframe.

From the entrance entered an older gentleman with grey hair and Ozzy Osborne glasses. He wore a green turtleneck along with a black jacket covering it, green pants, and black shoes. He had tray of cookies in one hand, and a mug with warm coffee in the other. He walked up to the girl who was at the table and spoke to her. As he got a few feet from her face, she smiled awkwardly at him.

"Ruby Rose," he began, "you have silver eyes."

The girl now identified as Ruby Rose was about to say something, but the silver-haired man beat her to it.

"So," he continued, "where did you learn to do this?"

He pointed to the tablet screen that the blonde huntress was holding. It was currently playing a replay of her earlier encounter with the other thugs that were with the bowler hat man, and she was clearly kicking ass.

Ruby took a quick glance at the screen and raised an eyebrow at the older gentleman. Changming was impressed with what he was watching. He didn't really pay too much attention to the younger girl at the time they were fighting off the thugs, but now that he was able to see her fighting on the screen, he became really impressed.

Ruby replied with a bit uncertainty, "Uh, at Signal Academy?"

The silver-haired man asked, "They taught you how to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?"

Ruby awkwardly but rather quickly replied, "Well, one teacher in particular."

The man simply replied, "I see."

He then set the tray of cookies on the table and backed away to give Ruby some space. She then looked at him with a look of hesitance, but then she quickly grabbed a cookie and stuffed it in her mouth. She then began to grab more cookies and stuff them in her mouth before even finishing the first one. Changming decided to grab one. He got off the wall and walked over to the table. As he reached for one of the cookies in isolation from the rest of the pile, it was swiped away from his sight in the blink of an eye. He blinked a few times before looking over at Ruby who noticed what he was attempting to do, and what she just did. She smiled awkwardly and barely said sorry with the amount of food in her mouth.

The older man continued his speech.

"It's just that I've only seen one other scythe wielder use that move before. A dusty old crow."

Ruby said something that was inaudible due to the amount of cookies in her mouth. She then swallowed the cookies and coughed a bit to clear her speech. Changming saw this as an opportunity to take a cookie, and so he did. Ruby apologized and told the older gentleman that it was her uncle named Qrow who taught her how to use a scythe and perform the moves that she used earlier. She explained how she was complete garbage before he took her under his wing. She then began performing karate chop moves and making Bruce Lee noises to indicate how well she's improved since. Changming rolled his eyes as munched on the cookie he managed to swipe.

The man smirked and replied, "So I've noticed. Now what is an adorable girl like yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?"

With a calm voice, ruby replied, "Well, I want to become a huntress."

The man asked, "You want to slay monsters?"

With some enthusiasm added in her voice, she began explaining to the two older people in the room about how she only has two years left at Signal before she will apply to another combat school called Beacon Academy. Just the name of the school got Changming's attention even more. He turned his undivided attention at the other three people with a bit of curiousness. Ruby then began to go on a rant about how she and her sister both want to become huntresses. Changming began to loose himself in his thoughts again. He was thinking about his trip tomorrow.

Tomorrow was the day that he would leave his home and go to another place and stay there for more than a day. He had lived in the forest with his family and friends for most of his life, and he rarely went outside of the village other than for necessary items such as food, clothing, furniture, et cetera. He knew that he was accepted into Beacon on the condition that he could pass the exam that the headmaster of beacon would give him, but he didn't know what it was going to be, or what he would have to do. He turned his attention back towards the group when the conversation took to another interesting turn.

The man had a small smile on his face, while the woman had a concerned look. Changming raised his eyebrow once more.

The man then asked Ruby, "Do you know who I am?"

Ruby with more confidence replied, "Of course. You're Professor Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon Academy."

Changming's eyes widened at this revelation. This was the headmaster of Beacon Academy? He wasn't expecting to see nor meet him so soon. Based on Mrs. Vrbada's descriptions of the man previously before this meeting, the man in front of him met his envisioned image of the man.

Ozpin said quickly, "Hello."

Ruby replied quirkily, "Nice to meet you."

Ozpin leaned forward and asked her, "Do you want to come to my school?"

Ruby replied honestly, "More than anything."

Ozpin looked over at the blonde woman. She simply rolled her eyes and turned her attention away from him.

He looked back at Ruby and replied simply, "Well okay."

Ruby's face lit up like she had just won the lottery. In a way, she just did. Professor Ozpin then turned his attention towards Changming who was silent during the whole conversation. Changming made eye contact with the headmaster and walked back towards the table. He stood in place for a bit before Ozpin gestured for him to take a seat in the empty chair to Ruby's right. Ruby gave him a smile, which he returned through his mask. He sat and looked over at the headmaster across from the table. Ozpin was the first to speak.

"What about you young man?" he began to ask. "Would you like to come to my academy?"

Changming leaned back a bit and relaxed his chair.

He simply replied, "I would like to. I have already applied through the help of one of my friends' mother. She knows you apparently."

Ozpin replied, "Hmm, so I see. May I ask who this woman may be?"

Changming answered, "Michelle Vrbada. Her son is my best friend Mario Brbada."

Ozpin nodded and said to him, "Yes I spoke with Mrs. Vrbada and your parents today Changming."

Changming sat up a bit and leaned forward on the table.

"So you do know who I am Professor Ozpin," he stated rather than asked.

"Yes," replied Ozpin, "and I know that you now me as well Changming."

Changming leaned back, but continued to look at the headmaster.

"My father spoke of you several times. He said that you were a great man, but you were not a perfect man growing up."

The headmaster nodded at this statement.

Changming continued, "He said that there were times that you asked for his help, and he did help you, but there were things that he disagreed with you on many occasions."

The headmaster once again said nothing, but nodded in agreement.

"Why should I trust you Professor Ozpin if some of your views on politics, situations, and judgment go against the ways of the Lin Kuei?"

Ozpin was still the same way as he always had been. He was cool, calm, and collective. He then replied to Changming's questions with a sincere answer.

"You and I both know that this world isn't perfect. There were times when your father broke Lin Kuei code because it was the right thing to do for humanity. I know that you're not stupid Changming. You and I both know that even the governments systems that watch over society is corrupt in some ways. But I will be honest with you. Sometimes you must twist or even break rules in order to maintain peace and order throughout the world. I know of your family's lineage and history. Don't think that I have forgotten about the era of Mortal Kombat like the many peoples of the Four Kingdoms have. Some of us are still very knowledgeable when it comes to Remnant's past."

Changming wasn't really fazed by this statement. He knew that anyone who associated closely with his family, the Vrbada family, or the Mitome family knew of their past.

Changming said to him, "I know that those who associate with my family know of our history. I am willing to attend your academy as long as you do not have me do anything that goes against my beliefs and the teachings of the Lin Kuei."

Professor Ozpin sat in silence for bit. He kept his eyes trained upon the young Sub Zero. He finally spoke up after about a minute of thinking.

"You know that I will not have my students do anything foolish Mr. Lang. As a headmaster and teacher, it is my job to make sure that my students are safe at all times. I understand the limitations of my students and faulty. I would never have anyone do something that I know they cannot do."

Changming rebutted, "See, you said do something that they cannot do. So what if what you ask something of them that goes against their personal beliefs and teachings?"

Professor Ozpin leaned forward and said, "This world isn't a perfect world Mr. Lang. It isn't the safest either. There are times when you do the right thing, and there are times when you do the wrong thing. Sometimes in order to do the wrong, you make a right. What I asked of your father was something that helped make sure Remnant stayed safe from extinction."

Changming leaned forward and replied, "What my father did that day broke the code of the Lin Kuei. He was lucky enough that his father didn't punish him severely for having done so. I trust in you like my father did professor, but I will be on high alert of your actions and movements. You crossed the path of the Lin Kuei. That is something that you cannot simply take back."

Ozpin nodded in agreement and said, "You're right, and I will continue to work and support the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu."

Changming nodded and extended his hand out for the headmaster to shake. The headmaster smiled and gave his hand to the young Sub Zero. The two had come to an accord. Changming then looked over to his left and saw that Ruby was still present during their conversation. She was currently looking at him with some confusion. Changming smiled, which caused Ruby to smile back.

Changming extended his arm out to the younger girl.

Changming said to her, "I'm sorry, but I forgot to formally introduce myself. I'm Changming Lang."

"Hi I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose. It's nice to meet you," she said cheerfully.

"Likewise Ms. Rose," Changming replied simply.

The huntress cleared her throat loudly to catch their attention. The two turned towards her.

"It's been nice meeting the two of you," she said, "but you two must now go home. It's getting late, and Professor Ozpin and I have some things to attend to."

Both of them nodded and said their goodbyes to the two adults. The two walked out of the interrogation room and shook hands once more before going their separate ways.

The next day…

The four warriors of the Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu were on board on one of Beacon's flying transportation aircraft. This ship was larger than the average aircraft flying about the skies of Remnant. It could house at least a colony of people on it. Changming was currently looking out of one of the windows down towards the city of Vale. The view was impressive to his eyes, but nothing could still beat the sight of the Lin Kuei Temple from below the mountain's foot. He was leaning against the window's frame when he felt a hand placed upon his left shoulder. He turned to see that it was his older cousin Bingwen.

"Enjoying the view?" he asked the younger Sub Zero.

"More or less," Changming simply replied. "I still think that the view looking towards our temple is still magnificent."

Bingwen chuckled and placed his hand back to his side.

"That is most true little cousin," he laughed.

Changming had to laugh too. Even though he was younger than Bingwen, he could still take him on in a sparring match. They've had their fair share of sparring matches over the years, and let's just say that the scores between the two are close. There was a sudden squeal of excitement that came from a girl. The two Sub Zeros turned their attention towards the source of the squeal. The two noticed a taller and older blonde girl dressed in black shorts with a brown jacket that covered her yellow shirt she was wearing. The jacket and the shirt were both short enough that her midriff was showing. She also had on an orange scarf around her neck, black fingerless gloves on, and what appeared to be gauntlets on her wrists. She also had brown ankle high boots and orange knee high socks on. What were her most distinguishable features were her lilac eyes, her long unkempt blonde hair, and the fact that her cleavage of her large chest was showing.

Bingwen was currently stuck in a trance at the sight of this girl. He had seen some pretty and beautiful girls and women in his village and that of the Shirai Ryu, but she was a whole other story in his eyes. Changming noticed this and rolled his eyes. His older cousin had always had a thing for blonde women. He never understood why, but unlike his uncle, grandfather, and all the other Sub Zeros before them, Bingwen was always the one that broke away from the tradition of finding a "traditional" Chinese woman. Changming himself didn't know what type of woman he was interested in. His family seemed to have had multiple people of different races and ethnicities in his family tree.

This blonde girl was currently hugging her sister and over hyping the fact that her sister Ruby was going to attend the same school as her during her freshman year at Beacon. Changming laughed at this. It was basically the same thing as Bingwen and himself. However Bingwen knew that regardless of what would've happened, he knew that Changming would eventually join him at Beacon whether he came the same year as him or even if he came a year after him. Despite the two not being brothers, they often acted as if they were despite the obvious differences in physical traits and appearances.

Bingwen managed to break out of his trance and he turned his attention back towards his younger cousin who he noticed was looking in the direction of the blonde girl and the younger redhead.

"You know either of them Changming?" Bingwen asked.

"Yeah. I know the younger girl in red," Changming replied. "She was with me last night when I spoke to the headmaster and I assume his assistant."

Bingwen turned towards his cousin again and asked, "Wait, she was the other person with you who stopped those crooks from stealing from the rest of that store?"

"Yep."

Bingwen turned back towards the two girls. He was impressed with what he heard. Changming had told him the night before about his encounter with the redhead and the headmaster and his assistant while they were doing their evening sparring session. From what Changming had told him that night, he was impressed to hear that another person, yet alone a young girl only attending one of the minor combat schools had helped his younger cousin put down some thugs. He was astounded once he actually saw the girl up close and somewhat personal. Just from the way she looked, Bingwen assumed that she was still in need of development. However he took his cousin's word for it.

The two Lin Kuei relatives' attention was deterred at the sound of a woman's voice on the hologram. The two turned their attention towards the hologram of the blonde huntress that helped Ruby and Changming last night. The hologram began with introducing herself and then congratulating those present on the fact of their acceptance to the academy. The woman introduced herself as Glynda Goodwitch. After her small introduction, the hologram ended and the giant aircraft was approaching one of the docks of Beacon. All of the other people on the ship began rushing towards the windows and pointing out the sight of the academy. The two Sub Zeros were lucky enough to be already standing right next to a window and saw the view. Their jaws dropped at the sight of the academy. It was a huge place that almost looked like a combination of a castle and a giant church.

"Well, I'll honestly say that this takes the cake in views Changming," Bingwen said still looking at the view.

"Yeah," Changming reluctantly agreed. "This definitely takes the cake."

Just then a blonde male in simple looking attire rushed past them towards the nearest trashcan. The two Sub Zeros turned their attention towards the individual who was now throwing up in the trashcan.

"Guess the guy has a bad case of air sickness," Bingwen pointed out.

"Thanks for the obvious Bingwen," replied Changming with a roll of his eyes.

Just then Changming was knocked to the ground flat on his stomach. He felt someone on his back. He groaned as he tried to sit up, but he couldn't due to the individual who was lying on top of him. The person who fell on him quickly got up and began apologizing for being so clumsy. Changming recognized the individual's voice. It was Ruby. Bingwen helped his younger cousin up on his feet. He asked if he was all right, to which Changming simply told him he was fine. He then turned his attention towards the younger redhead girl.

"It's no problem Ms. Rose," he began, "just do be aware of your surroundings. Not many people will take you bumping into them lightly."

"O-Okay," Ruby said a bit awkwardly while rubbing the back of her head.

Bingwen suddenly slapped the back of Changming's head lightly. The younger Sub Zero turned towards his older cousin with a look of annoyance.

"What was that for?" he yelled.

Bingwen shook his head in disapproval.

He said to Changming, "Quit being so grandmaster like. The only time you address people by Mr., Ms., Mrs., et cetera is if they are older than you, or hold a higher title than you do. We're all friends here right? So stop being so formal with everyone. It took me a while to stop that too. There is a time and place for being proper, and a time and place for not being so proper."

The blonde girl walked up from behind Ruby and spoke up adding to Bingwen's comment. She heard just that bit and decided to makes friends with these two strangers.

"Yeah he's right you know," she added.

The trio looked towards her as she approached them.

"You gotta loosen up a bit. There is a time when you address people by such titles and a time when you don't address people by such titles."

Bingwen leaned closer towards his cousin and placed his right hand on the left side of his face and covered his mouth so that Changming would be the only one to hear him.

"I'm beginning to like this girl already," he whispered to his cousin.

Changming backed away from Bingwen and gave him a 'really' questioning look. The older Sub Zero shrugged and decided to introduce himself to the blonde. The four of them introduced themselves to the other and began talking amongst themselves as they entered the dock. The older girl was known as Yang Xiao Long. She apparently is the older sister of Ruby. They are half-sisters and they share the same father. Bingwen explained to them that they are cousins and told them a little bit of their complex family tree. He did leave the part out about their great grandfathers and of the Mortal Kombat history. It was better that most people forget about those horrible and tragic events of history.

The four soon-to-be hunters and huntresses felt the ship slowing down and it rocked them a bit. The four youngsters decided to head towards the doors so that they wouldn't get caught to far behind the crowd of other students. As they were waiting for the ship to come to a complete halt and for the doors to open, Changming was silently thinking to himself in his mind.

 _"Well, there's no turning back now. Once I step out of this aircraft, my new life here at Beacon begins. Let's just hope that the future is a bright one."_

He then looked at Ruby out of the corners of his eyes. He felt something was special about her. He just couldn't quite put his finger on it.

 _"This meeting of Ruby Rose,"_ he began to think, _"I wonder what this means. Is it fate that I meet someone of silver eyes? Raiden, I may need your help in the near future."_


	4. A Shining Scorpion

Chapter 2: A Shining Scorpion Part 1 & 2

The doors of the airship opened, and all of the people on board walked out. The four most noticeable people of the crowd are our heroes. Changming was the last to leave as he was still soaking in the amazing sight of the academy and its grounds. He continued to walk down the door, which now acted as a ramp. He was so mesmerized by the sight, that he didn't notice Yang ditch Ruby for her friends and cause her to spin around and crash into a certain white haired heiress and her luggage. The sound of the girl's voice brought Changming out of his daze and he turned his attention towards Ruby and the white haired girl.

Changming jogged over to where Ruby was. His cousin had stayed by the young girl's side and helped her up. Changming arrived just in time for the white haired girl to continue her scolding. While the girl was scolding Ruby, both Sub Zeros noticed that the girl was shaking an open container of fire dust. Little did the other girl know, she was causing an accident that was waiting to happen.

Bingwen leaned over and whispered to his younger cousin, "Watch this."

Changming attempted to ask, "Wait wha-"

Bingwen however dragged him quickly away from the two girls. Just as the two were feet away from the two girls, an explosion was heard. The two Sub Zeros turned around and noticed that the girl in white was covered in soot and ashes. She then began to go on a huge rant again about Ruby being underage and that she shouldn't be here. Bingwen sighed and turned to his younger cousin.

"Stay here with Ruby," he said. "She's going to need someone to help her and comfort her out of this situation."

"Why me?" Changming asked.

"I need to find Tadashi," Bingwen replied. "I think he wants to have another 'business' matter to discuss with me."

"Can't it wait during or after initiation?"

"You know how he is Changming," said the older Sub Zero, "he's all about our families' rivalry."

Changming asked with some confusion, "Why didn't he do that yesterday?"

Bingwen sighed and replied, "I'm not quite sure, but I think his father brought him with him for some business meeting. Keep in mind Mr. Mitome does do business outside of the villages."

"Alright," Changming sighed, "but you owe me cousin."

Bingwen smiled and said, "I think this moment will be reward enough young one."

Changming rolled his eyes and smiled. The two bowed at one another and went their separate ways. Changming walked back just in time to see another girl in black join Ruby and the crabby white haired girl. As he walked up to them, the girl in white grabbed the container of fire dust from the black haired girl's hand. The white haired girl was turning away, but she then bumped into another individual whom the four didn't notice was there till that moment. The white haired girl looked up to see a taller intimidating boy with black hair and a scar that ran across his face. Changming knew who this was immediately.

"Tadashi," he said acknowledging his fellow ally and friend.

Tadashi turned his attention away from the white haired girl and turned towards the youngest Sub Zero.

"Changming," he acknowledged.

He then turned his eyes back upon the white haired girl with stern eyes. The girl curled up a bit in fear from his intense gaze.

"W-What do you w-want," her voice faltered from the commanding and hissy tone from earlier.

"The young girl here apologized for her actions," he began, "yet you still ignore her cries of apology. You are you to think that you're superior to others?"

The girl in white scoffed and replied, "Do you not know who I am?"

"Oh I know who you are Weiss Schnee," Tadashi replied with venom in his voice. "I know you, your sister, and particularly your father. He is a bastard that must die."

"Why how dare you!" she yelled at him.

Tadashi seemed unfazed however by her raising her voice.

"Your father doesn't care about other individuals and their well being. Whatever to help your stupid company grow and never crash, he will do it. But what your father doesn't realize is that people don't like him. No one can stand him. Just yesterday your father fired an employee who didn't come to work because his wife was sick and she's pregnant. Your father didn't want to hear even his excuse, and he dismissed the man as if his own family were a minor inconvenience," Tadashi said with some venom.

The white haired girl, now identified as Weiss Schnee, showed a hint of regret and sorrow. She couldn't really say anything back to the taller boy after what she had heard.

"And," the new Scorpion continued, "this all happened yesterday, right before my first day at Beacon Academy. Once I heard of your attendance at this academy, I couldn't wait and help but be excited."

Weiss, still in her scared state, raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Tadashi closed his eyes and then reopened them while stating, "So I can defeat you and make the world know that the so-called Schnees are nothing but jokes and corrupt people!"

Flames suddenly erupted from Tadashi's right fist that he made. He was about to strike the young Schnee girl in the face, but a familiar boy he knew all to well suddenly stopped his fist. Weiss had flinched and attempted to shield her face with her arms from the oncoming punch, but it never came. She opened her eyes to see Changming had stopped Tadashi from laying a hand on her. It was clearthat Tadashi was a lot stronger than Changming, who was currently struggling to hold the fist at a distance. Tadashi was a bit surprised by the younger Sub Zero's actions. He did not think that he would dare to stop his mission of humiliating the Schnee here and now.

Tadashi scowled and said, "Changming."

Changming smirked while still struggling and replied, "Tadashi."

Tadashi lowered his fist and stared down the youngest Sub Zero. He then crossed his arms over his chest.

"What is it that you think you are doing Changming?" Tadashi asked harshly.

"I'm simply preventing you from making a huge mistake Mitome," Changming simply replied. "If you are to fight her, then I suggest you wait till we have our sparring classes once we past initiation and are assigned classes."

Tadashi looked over the young Sub Zero's shoulder and saw that Weiss was still in a fearful state and cowered behind him. He then looked back at Changming.

"Hmph. Very well Changming, I will wait till we have a proper chance to spar. In the meantime, don't think I won't forget the debt you owe that man Ms. Schnee," he said as he looked from Changming and then to Weiss pointing a finger at her.

"Tadashi," Changming said calmly, "leave her alone. She has nothing to do with the affairs of her father. Leave her be for now."

Tadashi reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"By the way," Changming said, "Bingwen went ahead towards where we are supposed to go. He was looking for you earlier as we boarded off the ship."

Tadashi replied, "Thank you Changming. I will go and seek your cousin. For now, farewell."

Tadashi placed his right fist over across his chest while Changming brought up his right fist against his left palm. The two then bowed to each other after performing the signature respect signals. Tadashi then left towards the academy and went in search for the older Sub Zero. Changming turned around and was about to apologize on behalf of Tadashi's attitude to Weiss, but he noticed that she slipped away with her two butlers trailing behind her with her belongings. He sighed and turned around to see that Ruby was currently lying on the ground groaning and saying "Welcome to Beacon." Changming looked up and saw that the girl with the black bow was walking another direction as well.

Changming smiled and walked up to Ruby. He looked down at the girl with a plain face. She looked up at him with sad look for a moment, and then turned her head away from him.

"Why so down?" he asked.

"You just saw why," she replied lamely.

Changming extended his hand out to her. She looked up and gave him a small smile. She took his hand and he helped her up.

"Don't be so down on yourself Ruby," he said. "You just got off on the wrong foot with her. Just make it up to her and show her that you're really sorry. She was just probably having a bad day herself."

Ruby gave him another small smile again.

"Thanks," she said.

Changming smiled back and replied, "Any time Ruby."

The two then heard a groan from a male individual. They turned to see that the blonde from earlier on the ship was still throwing up from his motion sickness affects. Changming walked over to the poor boy. Just as the boy came back up for air, Changming gently placed a hand upon the boy's shoulder. The blonde looked over to see the young Sub Zero with a look of concern.

"Are you okay my friend?" Changming asked.

The boy responded with uneasiness, "Y-Yeah, a little bit. Just motion sickness is all."

Changming nodded and then he reached into his bag that he kept with him for special and incase of emergency situations. He opened a pill bottle that contained medicine for all kinds of sickness. He dumped out one pill and handed it to the blonde boy who accepted it gratefully.

"That medicine should help," Changming said, "my mother made all of these pills to help with all kinds of sicknesses."

The blonde looked back at the young cryomancer and gave him a smile of thanks. The blonde, having recovered from his weak state, introduced himself to Changming. Ruby walked up to them and introduced herself to the blonde as well, who was named Jaune Arc. Changming told and gestured to the others that they should most likely get going towards the auditorium. The two agreed and followed him towards their destination. While they were walking, Jaune and Ruby were engaged in conversation while Changming walked slightly ahead of them listening while trying to find the place they needed to go to. Little did the youngest Sub Zero know that he was only one that knew where they needed to go.

"I'm telling you, motion sickness is something serious," said Jaune to Ruby.

"Sorry," Ruby said, "Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind."

"Oh yeah? What if I call you crater face?" Jaune retorted.

"Hey that explosion was an accident!" Ruby snapped back.

"Yeah well my name is short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it," Jaune randomly said.

Changming sighed and shook his head in disapproval.

"Do they?" Ruby asked sarcastically with a raised eyebrow.

"They will!" Jaune exclaimed. "Well, I hope they will. My mom always says that… Well never mind."

Ruby giggled lightly at that statement.

"So," she dragged out the 'o', "I have this thing."

She pulled out her scythe and transformed it to its full mode.

Jaune jumped and asked her if what she had was a scythe.

 _"Could it be anything else Jaune?"_ Changming asked internally.

"It's also a customizable high impact sniper rifle," she added quickly.

Changming face palmed.

 _"I completely forgot about that,"_ he said once more to himself.

"A what?" Jaune asked completely confused.

"It's also a gun," Ruby replied.

"That's cool," Jaune said.

"So what do you got?" Ruby asked a little excitedly.

"Uh, well," Jaune began hesitantly, "I have this sword."

Jaune pulled out his sword from his sheath. Ruby nodded and looked at the sword. Jaune also pulled out a shield and extended it to its full size. Ruby looked slightly amazed at the sight of the shield. She then asked what did the shield do. Jaune lamely explained that the shield simply shrunk back into a more compatible object to carry around. Ruby countered by asking if the shield would just weigh the same. Jaune's answer was not so helpful to himself. The cryomancer looked at Jaune with a bit of pity. Jaune seemed very friendly, but it didn't seem like the young blonde had the confidence or abilities of a true warrior, or even a warrior in training.

Ruby, to reassure Jaune's choice in weapons wasn't poor at all, told him that she went overboard with designing and creating her weapon. At this statement, Jaune went wide-eyed and asked if she really made her scythe by herself.

"Of course," she replied, "most students at Signal made their own weapons. Didn't you make yours?"

Jaune looked a little dejected.

He still answered by saying, "It's a hand-me-down. My great great grandfather used it during the war."

"Sounds like a family heirloom," said Ruby. "Well I like it. Not many people have an appreciation for the classics."

"Yeah," Jaune added weakly, "the classics."

Changming turned around and said to Jaune, "Don't worry Jaune. My grandfather once told me that it isn't the weapon that defines you. It is the person using the weapon that defines him or her. Just because Ruby might've made an impressive weapon that many would not even consider using doesn't mean that she outclasses you. You make whatever you want of your future not others. So be happy with what you have, and use whatever you've been given to the best of your ability. Become the best person you can be by being you."

Jaune scratched the back of his head and thanked Changming for his wise words of advice.

"It's my pleasure Jaune," Changming bowed respectively.

"So, what weapon do you have?" Jaune asked him.

Changming held open his right palm and formed a small kunai out of ice.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Jaune. "That's pretty cool!"

Changming replied, "Indeed it is Jaune. However I do not consider my abilities as weapons. I view them as gifts that I can share with the world. Yes I can recreate weapons out of ice and use them, but I'd like to see my powers used for an entirely different purpose other than simply as a self-defense method."

"That sounds nice," Jaune said, "but it is still pretty neat."

Changming nodded in agreement. Ruby then interrupted the two.

"Do either of you know where we're going?" she asked.

"No, I was following you," Jaune said.

"Huh? Um." Ruby attempted. She was as lost as the blonde.

Changming chuckled loudly enough for the two to hear him.

"What?" the other two asked simultaneously.

Changming said, "You two are lucky that I know we're supposed to head to the courtyard. I know how to get there thanks to my friend's mother. She attended this school once upon a time."

Ruby excitedly asked, "Really? Is she a huntress?"

Changming added, "Yeah. In fact, she is the only one who became a huntress amongst my closest friends' mothers."

Changming looked down at his watch.

"We better go," he said to them. "We only have about ten minutes left before the professors give their introduction speech."

The other two nodded and followed him to their destination.

A few moments later…

The three entered the main area of the courtyard. As soon as they entered, Yang called Ruby. Ruby saw Yang and told the other two that she'd see them around and she left to join her sister. Changming did the same thing and told Jaune that he'd check up on him later tonight. He needed to find Bingwen fast to tell him about Tadashi. Jaune groaned as his two new friends went their separate ways.

"Oh great," he began to complain. "Where am I going to find another nice quirky girl and a cool dude like him?"

Little did he know, a certain redhead Spartan girl from Sanctum was looking at him with some interest.

Changming was walking amongst the crowd while apologizing on occasion for having bumped into a few people here and there. After about a minute or two of searching, he found not only Bingwen, but also Tadashi and Mario standing on either side of him.

"Hey!" Changming called out to them.

The trio turned to see the youngest Sub Zero speed walk up to them. The three got into their respective signature bowing poses as well as Changming. They then bowed to each other and exchanged handshakes afterwards.

"So how'd it go?" Bingwen asked his cousin.

"Eh all right I guess," Changming shrugged. The youngest Sub Zero turned towards the newest generation Scorpion. "Did you tell him about the Schnee girl?"

Tadashi nodded.

Bingwen said, "Yeah he told me. I spoke with him about her already. Our fathers will deal with hers. We just have to make a good image of the Kin Kuei and Shirai Ryu. So this means we cannot attack any of the other students here without any good reason other than a sparring session."

Changming replied, "Well, that's pretty logical. It's also what we've been really doing over the years. It's the same old principle."

"Yeah, the same old principle that's been keeping us in check over the years," Bingwen added.

Just then the sound of a microphone turned on. Everyone turned their attention towards the stage to see both Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch approaching the center stage. Ozpin was the first to speak.

He cleared his throat and said, "I'll keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. However, I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy. You need a purpose, a direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but you time at this school will prove that knowledge will take you only so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

With that, the headmaster disappeared from the stage. Ms. Goodwitch was the next to speak.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight," she said. "Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You're dismissed."

"Well, he seemed a bit off," Mario commented.

"True," Tadashi added, "it would seem that the headmaster is under some stress."

"Mom never mentioned anything about his job being too stressful," Mario said scratching his chin.

"That's 'cause adults don't let children into their affairs," Bingwen simply added and began walking towards the ballroom.

The other three looked amongst each other and shrugged. They then followed Bingwen towards their destination.

Later that evening…

Changming was lying down on his sleeping bag that he had brought from home with his hands behind his head. Mrs. Vrbada definitely helped the boys out by giving them a heads up on what is going to happen during their first few days of Beacon. He was currently in navy blue shorts, a white plain t-shirt, and he had a black hoodie on. Bingwen came out of the bathroom with his belongings and looked for his younger cousin. When he stopped him, he began to walk over towards him. On his way there, he noticed that Yang was looking at all the boys who were shirtless. The two older relatives made eye contact with one another. Yang winked at the older Sub Zero, to which Bingwen simply smiled and returned the wink. Yang laughed at this action and attended back to her sister who was currently writing something.

Once Bingwen made it over to the spot where Changming was, he simply dropped his belongings and began to unravel his own sleeping bag. Changming didn't move, and he still kept staring at the ceiling.

"Must you cause a ruckus cousin?" Changming asked.

"Aw, lighten up will yeah? Not every one is asleep you know. Plus I'm not the only one making noise," Bingwen laughed and said while getting his things in order for the night.

Just then the doors of the ballroom opened up in an abrupt manner. Everyone in the ballroom turned his or her attention towards the noise being made. From the door burst four jock-looking guys. Next came in Tadashi with a look that had some killing intent behind it. The two Sub Zeros looked at one another for a brief moment and then got up quickly to help Tadashi, or rather save the other four idiots from whatever they did. Tadashi only get upset like the way he does when something or someone does something that goes against his principle or that of the Shirai Ryu. The Lin Kuei Clan was the only exception for most of his beliefs.

One of the other boys on the ground, who was clearly the biggest of the bunch got back up and tried to lay a smack down on Tadashi. The jock tried to swing a powerful punch to Tadashi's temple, but he simply parried the attack and countered by kicking the guy in the gut. Tadashi then uppercut the poor soul causing to come crashing down to the floorboard. The other three quickly got up and got into what the Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu would consider 'sloppy forms'.

"You dared to harm an innocent faunus!" yelled Tadashi with anger.

"What's it to ya?" one of the guys asked mockingly. "You a faunus lover?"

"You will learn disciple and respect by my hand!" Tadashi exclaimed.

The three dumbasses all came charging in at the same time. The first guy swung a fist straight on at Tadashi's head, but Tadashi simply blocked it and performed an arm lock on the poor guy. He then quickly punched the boy's arm behind his elbow and between his right shoulders. He then performed a roundhouse kick to the guy's head and knocked him out of the way. The second boy attempted to kick him in the chest, but Tadashi caught the boy's leg and elbowed it hard. Tadashi then back flipped him and then jumped up and punched him in the face.

The third guy stood a good few feet away. He clenched his fists and charged at Tadashi. However Tadashi performed a jump kick to the third boy's face. The boy fell on the ground hard, but he got up quickly and tried to punch him again. Once more, Tadashi arm locked the boy's arm and did a backflip kick that sent the boy into one of the lower crossbeams of the ceiling. The boy fell back down on the ground with a loud thump.

Tadashi looked around him and saw that all four of the jockeys were incapacitated. He was looking down at the orange haired brute for a good minute. The big guy was awake and slowly getting up but he fell back down as he was still in a daze.

"You're lucky that I didn't break any of your bones," Tadashi said with some anger behind it. "You and your buddies would've been in the hospital for months or perhaps years depending on how far I would've and could've gone."

The two Sub Zeros were standing just several feet away from the scene. They arrived at Tadashi's spot the moment he began his beat down on the third individual. Bingwen was the first to speak.

"Always picking a fight aren't you Tadashi?" he sighed and asked tiredly.

The new Scorpion looked up from the ground and saw the two Sub Zeros looking at him with tired eyes.

"They were picking on an innocent Bingwen," Tadashi grunted. "They deserved what they received."

Bingwen sighed and walked up to his friend and rival. He then wrapped his left arm around the flame head's shoulders.

"Just try not to attract too much attention to yourself will ya?" he asked. "It's bad enough if we're causing a scene. It's even worse when we start beating up the crap out of weaklings such as them."

Tadashi sighed and nodded reluctantly. Bingwen gave his friend a smile and patted him on the back. Just as he turned around to face Changming, some one cleared her throat loud enough for the whole now silent ballroom to hear. Bingwen slowly turned around and saw Professor Goodwitch standing at he door with her arms folded across her chest. She had her riding crop in her right hand. She had a stern look on her face. Next to her at the doorway was Professor Ozpin, who seemed calm and observant of the situation. He was also drinking coffee.

"Would either of you like to explain why we have three unconscious peers on the ground and another that can barely stand on both feet?" she asked with a hint of anger in her professional voice.

Bingwen began to sweat bullets. No teacher, or let alone no woman, made him sweat so much other than his mother. This lady definitely had that aura about her. Tadashi however stepped forward.

"If anyone is to blame Professor, then it is I whom you should blame," Tadashi said with a bow.

"What was your reason Mr. Mitome?" Professor Ozpin suddenly asked.

Ms. Goodwitch turned around towards the headmaster and raised an eyebrow.

"These fools were picking on a faunus," he replied with the same venom from earlier. "They thought it would be funny to tug on a wolf girl's ears and see how long she could last without squealing."

The headmaster nodded and looked over at Ms. Goodwitch.

"Let him go Glynda. He was only helping a fellow student out," he said softly.

"But Professor…" she began.

The headmaster interrupted her once more.

"I understand your worry Ms. Goodwitch, and I do not fully agree with the actions of Mr. Mitome. However I do agree on the fact that no one was going to help the poor girl and Mr. Mitome took action. And he handled the situation the way he was raised to handle situations like that. That is why we are here. We are here to instruct and guide them on how to properly deal with these types of situations," he stated.

He turned his attention towards Tadashi once more.

"I am most grateful that you took action when no one else would," he told the young Scorpion, "but I do not believe that you had to go as far as knocking three of four other boys unconscious. Therefore, I will give you a warning about using violence in this manner. Otherwise, I praise you for your actions, and I will deal with these four myself."

Tadashi nodded in agreement. Professor Ozpin then had the four boys put in stretchers and carried off to the hospital wing. With that, the two professors left and the rest of the students went back to what they were doing, which was attempting to fall back asleep. The trio walked over back to the spot that Bingwen and Changming had occupied. When they returned, they found Mario sitting up right meditating. He opened his eyes when he felt their presence was near.

"Were you here the whole time?" Bingwen asked.

"More or less," Mario replied. "I only heard the conversation between you two and the professors."

"I see," Bingwen said. He then plopped onto his sleeping bag that was laid out, and he stared at the ceiling.

Tadashi followed shortly, but slowly and more calmly placed himself inside the sleeping bag. He too decided to stare at the ceiling for a little bit before turning over onto his right side. His back was facing the three Lin Kuei members. He soon fell asleep within seconds. Changming was about to do the same when he heard a familiar group of people arguing with one another. He sighed and decided to walk over and calm the group down. When he got there, Weiss was yelling at Yang and Ruby.

"She is a hazard to my health!" she exclaimed.

"I see that there is a problem here," Changming interrupted them stating rather than questioning the situation in front of him.

"It's you!" Weiss turned and pointed at him.

"Yes, it is I, Changming Lang. It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance Ms. Schnee," he replied with a bow.

Weiss flushed red at his kind gesture as she was embarrassed that she had raised her voice at a young gentleman.

"P-Please forgive me of my rudeness Mr. Lang," she said weakly with an awkward bow.

Changming looked back up at the young huntress and replied, "There is no need to apologize to me. You have done nothing wrong against me, so there is no harm."

"O-Oh, okay," she said.

Yang then interrupted, "So how's it going iceman?"

Changming turned to look at the blonde brawler with a confused look on his face. After not getting a reaction from him, she explained to him that she was using a pun referencing what she heard about his power from Ruby. Changming nodded and replied that he was a bit tired.

"It's been sort of a rough day for me," he began, "but it's been good more or less.

"Well that's good," Yang replied cheerfully.

"Indeed. Now would you ladies please be so kind as to return to your respective areas and sleep. We all have initiation tomorrow, and we don't know what we're up against, so I advise that all four of you go to sleep. Plus you don't want too many other people mad at all of you on the first day of school," he said calmly.

Weiss made a 'hmph' gesture and mumbled a 'I told you so' phrase. She then turned around and went back to her spot she had chosen for the night. Ruby sighed in relief. She then turned her attention towards Changming and thanked him.

"It's not a problem at all Ruby. Just ask for help when you need it. I'll be there for you if the situation calls for it," he said to her with a soft yet friendly voice.

Ruby blushed a bit and returned to him a small smile. Yang noticed the interaction between the two younger teens. She smirked and left things at that. Changming turned his attention towards Blake and introduced himself to her. She did likewise. The two seemed to get along well right away. Blake could tell that he was a genuinely kind and caring individual, but he was more reserved and quiet compared to other people such as Yang. Changming bid a goodnight to each of the three girls standing/sitting before him and he walked back over to his spot.

Mario had fallen asleep, but Bingwen had watched the whole thing transpire in front of him. He smiled as his younger cousin made his way over to him.

"Nice job Changming," he said to his cousin, "although you could be less formal like I said earlier."

"Sorry, force of habit," Changming replied while scratching the back of his head.

Bingwen chuckled and began to tuck himself away into his sleeping bag.

"Don't be sorry for everything little cousin. If anything, just enjoy your life. I want you to be happy, and if that means you continue to be your prim and proper self, then that's fine by me," he said to his cousin with a smile.

The younger Sub-Zero returned the smile with his own smile and thanked his older cousin before bidding him goodnight. Changming got into his sleeping bag and stared at the ceiling.

 _"I wonder what sort of trials await us tomorrow,"_ he pondered in his head. " _My life at this academy officially begins tomorrow. I better get adjusted to living somewhat on my own. I still need to talk with Raiden sometime soon. The legend behind those with silver eyes still bothers me. I just can't remember what their significance was. Oh well, best not fret too much on the subject."_

And with that last thought, Changming slowly closed his eyes and let himself drift off into sleep.


	5. The First Step Pt 1 & 2

**NOTE: 1) To the guest that asked me a question regarding the other MK Clans. There will be appearances of the other various clans from time to time during Volume 1 of this RWBY followed story. Volume 2 is when I plan on introducing more OC next generation MK Clan descendants of the other clans, but for now, it is all about the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu. 2) This chapter will probably be the shortest one of the entire Volume 1 chapters because it is the preparation of the characters to begin Initiation. Plus when I watched the two parts of this title episode from the actual show, I didn't really see anything else that seemed too important or interesting, so this will definitely be a sort of a "not necessary, but it follows the plot" kind of chapter. 3) To add a little more excitement to the episode, or in this case chapter, you will get to read about the Big Four fighting in action. 4) Thank you too all of you who have read this story, supported it, and even favored it. I really appreciate it even to the guests to read my story. Now please enjoy Chapter 3 of this RWBY & MK crossover story!**

Chapter 3: The First Step Parts 1 & 2

Changming woke up to the sound of a girl singing, "It's morning! It's morning! It's morning!"

Changming sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked around to find the source of the person singing. He spotted a girl with orange hair and blue eyes singing that aweful song while going around a boy wearing green traditional Chinese clothing but with white pants. The boy had magenta eyes with black hair and a single strand of hair with magenta die. The boy looked tired and slightly annoyed with the orange-haired girl, but said nothing. Changming shook his head and decided to get up and get ready for initiation. Just as he was leaving for the restrooms, Bingwen and Mario began to get up too. Changming looked over to where Tadashi was supposed to be, but it seems like the Shirai Ryu warrior got up earlier as usual to get ahead of the other incoming freshman.

When Changming ended the restroom to brush his teeth, the orange-haired girl and the raven-haired boy were in there too. While the boy was quiet and brushing his teeth, the girl kept rambling on and on about the two's relationship with one another. The boy still had a face of annoyance and apparently agony, but he still kept quiet as he listened to the girl ramble. Changming sighed and slammed his head onto the sink's counter. This was going to be a long morning. And indeed it was.

Moments later…

"I swear if that girl doesn't shut her mouth, I will smoke out her lungs," Mario said while opening his locker and slightly crushing the door.

"I know," added Bingwen. "It took a lot of will power for me to not freeze her damn mouth shut."

"Take it easy guys," Changming said simply sitting on the bench in the middle of the locker room. "Imagine what auntie would do if she found out what you did Bingwen."

Bingwen sighed & replied, "I know, that's why I didn't freeze that yappin' orange-haired Speedy Gonzalez girl into a block of ice."

The boy in the green clothing finally spoke up when the orange-haired girl finally took a breather.

"Nora," he said.

"Yes Ren?" she asked still excited and happy.

"I don't think sloths make a lot of noise," he simply replied with a matter-of-fact statement.

"That's why it's perfect!" she exclaimed. "No one will suspect we're working together."

"Come on Nora," the boy named Ren said, "let's go."

She started rambling again about being together-together, whatever that meant.

"Finally!" Bingwen shouted. "My ears can finally catch a break!"

Changming got up and patted the older Sub-Zero on the back.

"Quit being so over dramatic," he said softly.

He then began to walk out of the locker rooms. On the way, he encountered Weiss and a girl he recognized as Pyrrha Nikos. Weiss was currently talking with the Spartan girl about possibly being on similar teams. When the redhead girl said she was open to the idea, Changming swore he could see a tiny evil storm cloud above the heiress's head. She also had an evil look on her face.

 _"The smartest girl on the same team with perhaps one of the best warriors on Remnant. That is a dangerous combination indeed,"_ thought Changming as he passed by.

Bingwen watched as his younger cousin left the locker room and headed towards the cliff. He sighed and went back to preparing himself for Initiation.

"What is it?" Mario asked interrupting his train of thought.

Bingwen looked up at his best friend and replied, "He's already observing the actions and thoughts of other people around him. It hasn't even been a full day at Beacon, and he's already checking out the other 'competition'."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Mario countered.

"Not really," Bingwen sighed once more, "but it wouldn't kill him to take a breather every now and then.

Just then the two older Lin Kuei members overheard a conversation between Weiss, Pyrrha and the boy named Jaune Arc. The blonde 'warrior' was making an attempt to flirt with the white-haired heiress. When Jaune pushed Weiss's button too far, he ended up finding himself pinned against one of the nearby lockers. Mario face palmed, and Bingwen sighed and the boy's foolish actions. The redhead Spartan girl apologized to the 'knight' and followed Weiss towards the cliffs.

Just then Ms. Goodwitch made an announcement for incoming freshman to go head towards the cliffs. Mario and Bingwen got up and headed out towards the doors. They were going to see if Jaune needed some assistance, but two certain sisters beat them to him. They both shrugged and walked up to the trio anyways.

"Having some trouble there lady killer?" Yang asked sarcastically.

Ruby offered him a hand, which he gladly accepted.

"I don't understand," Jaune stated with confusion. "My dad said what all women look for is confidence. Where did I do wrong?"

"It was the moment you called her 'Snow Angel' that things went down south very quickly my friend," Bingwen answered.

The three looked behind them to see the new Sub-Zero and the new Smoke approach them.

"Let's get going," Mario simply said.

The two continued on past them once they saw that Jaune was now in the hands of Ruby.

About two minutes later…

"I didn't think this was going to happen," Bingwen said with a bit of uneasiness in his voice.

"Neither was I," added Mario, "but what do you expect from the 'Great Professor' himself?"

"I'm assuming your mother had some troubles with him in the past?" the older Sub Zero questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Something like that," Mario said trying to avoid the topic.

It was something that his mother didn't like talking about, so he usually kept quiet about the matter. Bingwen shrugged and faced towards the headmaster. They were all currently at the edge of Beacon's cliffs with launch pads beneath each of their feet. They were apparently going to be launched literally into the forest known as the Emerald Forest. Ozpin then began his speech.

"For years you have trained to become warriors. Today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest," he said.

Professor Goodwitch then spoke.

"Now I am sure that many of you have heard the rumor of the assignment of teams," she began. "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today."

She added some emphasis on the word 'today'.

Changming heard Ruby groan, "What?"

Ozpin added, "These teammates will be with you for the rest of the time you are at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to pair up with somebody you can work well with."

Ruby groaned again.

"That being said," he continued, "the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the next four years."

Changming swore that he saw Ruby die on the inside.

"See, I told you," he heard Nora say to Ren.

Ozpin continued quickly to prevent further interruptions, "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die."

Now it was Jaune's turn to die on the inside.

"Thank Oum we're used to that," Bingwen stated cockily.

"Don't be too overconfident Sub Zero," Tadashi said. "You still owe me a debt."

Bingwen gave him a 'shooing' gesture & replied, "Alright already. I remembered. Get off my case already Scorpion."

The new Scorpion turned around with his arms crossed and added a 'hmph' to his defiance.

"You will be monitored and graded during the duration of your Initiation," Ozpin added. "But our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item as well as you are standing and we will grade you appropriately."

Jaune and Ruby gave each other uneasy looks.

"Are there any questions?" the headmaster asked.

Jaune raised his hand & attempted to ask, "Um yeah. Uh sir…"

However Ozpin cut him off.

"Good! Now, take your positions!"

The other entire incoming freshman, including Ruby, got into a stance and prepared themselves to be launched into the forest. Changming closed his eyes and waited for his turn. He used his other senses to know what was happening around him. One by one, all the students were being launched off into the forest. Bingwen was beside him. Right before his older cousin was launched, he spoke to the younger Sub Zero.

"I'll see you in a few little cousin," he said. He was launched off shortly after.

Changming knew his turn was coming up soon. He could feel the wheels beneath him cranking. Right before he was launched, he placed his hood upon his head and he opened his eyes just in time to get one more glance at the young redheaded Rose that was just two people over from him.

 _"Hope you make it okay in there Ruby. I'll see you soon enough. Our paths crossed for a reason. I just haven't found that reason quite yet,"_ he thought to himself.

He quickly looked ahead and then he was launched into the forest.

Several moments later…

"Well we're quite in a predicament here," Bingwen stated.

"Oh really?" his younger cousin asked with annoyance in his voice.

"Now is not the time guys," Mario said not facing the two Sub Zeros.

"Enough talk! Let's kill these animals now," Tadashi said impatiently.

Bingwen said, "Alrighty then. Let's rumble boys."

A group of ten dark wolf-like creatures known as beowolves were currently surrounding the four warriors. There was an alpha male in their presence, and it roared to the others to charge them. The first beowolf to reach the group was frozen into a block of ice by Changming. Bingwen formed an ice katana and stabbed the ice causing it to shatter along with the beast frozen in it. The next beowolf attempted to slice Mario in half with its massive claws. However Mario used his great grandfather's signature move of turning into smoke and going into the pores and openings of the shadow beast. The beowolf looked around confused for a moment before suddenly howling in pain. The beast began to expand and eventually exploded into oblivion. A cloud of smoke was hovering over where the beast had been before. Mario then turned himself back into his physical form.

Tadashi on the other hand stuck to his traditional ninjutsu methods. He duel wielded two short swords that he created on his own when he was younger and began to hack and slice through the opposition that stood in his way. He took down three wolves and then turned his attention towards the alpha male who was currently staring him down while growling lowly.

He then sheathed back one of his sword, and then he held the other one firmly in his right hand. He then let the hidden kunai attached to a chain slide a little bit from his sleeves. He held the chain firmly in his left hand letting the kunai dangle a little. The alpha howled and charged the new Scorpion.

Tadashi rolled to his left to avoid the oncoming tackle from the alpha. This beast was certainly a bit larger than the average beowolf, but this would not stop Tadashi from his mission. The beast turned around after skidding to a halt only to meet the kunai, which was embedded into its chest. The beast roared in agony as the pain was unbearable to it. Tadashi then performed his great grandfather's signature technique and one liner.

"GET OVER HERE!"

Tadashi brought the beast towards him by yanking and pulling on the chain causing the beast to get closer to the young Scorpion. Tadashi held the sword low and waited for the gape to close between the two. As the beast was a mere few inches away from him, he performed an uppercut with his remaining sword in hand and sliced the beast in half using most of his strength to do so. Tadashi gave a small sigh as he sheathed the other sword back. The kunai chain was then put back in his sleeve. He turned around and noticed the others simply watching him in amusement. They had finished off the other six beowolves while he was fighting off the alpha.

"A little overkill don't you think?" asked Bingwen with a smirk.

"What's done is done," Tadashi replied simply.

He then started walking towards the direction of the temple. Bingwen sighed and gestured for the other two Lin Kuei members to follow. Changming and Mario both looked at one another for a moment. Both raised eyebrows at each other, but they merely shrugged it off and followed the other two.

A few moments earlier…

Changming was flying in the air. He then used his ice beam powers to create a path of ice. He used his powers to guide himself down to the forest floor. Once he reached the ground, he jumped off his icy path, and he lightly jumped off performing a somersault in the air and landing in a crouched position. He then stood up straight still on high alert and waited for a moment to let things calm down. Once everything was calm, Changming began walking north. He didn't know exactly where the temple was, but all he knew was that he needed to head north.

After walking for sometime, Changming stopped in place and looked and listened about his surroundings. He heard a sudden rustling sound from a bush several feet away from him. He got into his defensive stance as he waited for what was going to come forth out of it. He sighed in relief when he saw that it was his best friend Mario who emerged from the said bush.

"Thinking I was a grim huh?" Mario asked simply.

"What else could it be?" was Changming's reply.

"Fair enough," Mario responded while shrugging his shoulders.

"Do you know where the temple is?" Changming asked.

"Yeah. I went ahead a little bit before looking for a partner. I was lucky enough to bump into you," replied Mario.

"How did you not encounter anyone else?" Changming asked curiously.

"My nickname is Smoke for a reason remember?" Mario said with a smirk.

Changming face palmed as he forgot that his best friend could literally transform into a cloud of smoke like his great grandfather Tomas. Mario chuckled at his best friend's reaction and gestured for the two to walk on. It was quiet for most of the time they were walking, but that all changed within seconds. They then heard a growling noise coming from the surrounding brush. The two Lin Kuei warriors got back-to-back and got into their defensive stances. Suddenly an alpha male beowolf appeared from a few bushes along with two comrades at each of its sides.

"Well we were getting kind of bored," Mario stated.

"True. Three beowolves are nothing," Changming added.

Just then seven more beowolves appeared surrounding them and cutting the two off entirely.

"Scratch that last statement," Changming said getting more serious.

Just then a ring of fire appeared around the two cutting the beowolves off of the friends. The two looked around for the source of the fire. Changming looked up and saw Tadashi standing in a tree branch with his fist raised in the air on fire. His eyes also seemed to have flames in them. Mario looked behind one of the minor beowolves growling at the flames and saw Bingwen behind the beast sneaking towards it. Unfortunately Bingwen stepped on a branch on the ground, which caused a loud snap. The two beowolves including the one Bingwen was sneaking towards turned around and turned their attention completely on him.

Bingwen jumped up and used his ice powers to help him go higher in the air and join the other two Lin Kuei in the center of the beowolves's circle. Tadashi let his flames die down and he too joined the other trio. The four were in their respective combat stances observing the beowolves and waiting for them to attack.

"Well, we're in quite a predicament here," Bingwen stated.

"Oh really?" his younger cousin asked with annoyance in his voice.

Present moment…

Changming was walking next to his older cousin in thought.

 _"This is my first step to understanding what meeting Ruby means,"_ he thought. _"It is bothering me way to much. Also, what was with that Torwick guy stealing the dust from that store? I really don't like this turn of events. Ruby is a sweet girl, but it isn't just you meet a silver-eyed individual and a major criminal in one day."_

Bingwen noticed his cousin's usual behavior from the corner of his eyes, but he remained quiet and continued to pay attention ahead of them.


	6. Update

Update & Status

Yo guys! How's it going? So just to give a little update on this story, will be posting a new chapter within the next couple of weeks, it just depends on my schedule.

Sorry for not updating any new chapters over a three month period. I was doing an internship away from my home, and I didn't have a laptop to work on those chapters.

That being said, I promise to update this story as soon as possible. I'd also like to thank those of you who have supported this story and myself.

I noticed that I obtained some new followers over the summer, so thank you guys very much.

Aside from this story, I am working on a Dragon Ball Z and Naruto crossover that will have a similar construction to this story where I take elements from both stories and combine them along with one of the major plot lines with a little bit of my ideas put into them.

Like this story, that crossover will contain the main plot line from the Naruto story. There is a trailer that I put out along with posting this update for you guys.

Once again thank you guys so much for the support and stay cool.

Freephysic17


	7. The Emerald Forest Pt 1 &2

**Note: This chapter is going to be a little shorter than the others since the videos of this particular chapter is pretty short as well. I have combined the two parts into one chapter.**

 **To Lord Demolition: Yes Raiden will make an appearance. He will play a key role later on as the series progresses.**

 **To Guest 2: Thanks for the support. I really appreciate the comment.**

 **To Guest 1: I will add other clans later in perhaps Vol. 2 & 3, but right now Vol. 1 is mostly introduction to the Revived Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu.**

 **To everyone reading: Thanks so much for the support and for reading my story. Sorry for the late post. I have that explained in the previous chapter, which is just an update.**

 **Here is Ch. 4. Enjoy guys!**

Chapter 4: The Emerald Forest Pt. 1 & 2

"This is a pain in the (censored)," Bingwen stated as he punched an ursa in the jaw.

"You're telling us?" Changming asked sarcastically while stabbing another ursa with his ice katana.

"Can we hold the arguing for some other time?" Mario asked a bit annoyed. He began punching another ursa very quickly to the point the ursa couldn't even do anything to counter him.

Tadashi on the other hand was hacking and slashing at the other ursa that had decided to pick a fight with the four warriors. He stabbed one ursa through its thick skull and then spun around to slice the head off another one.

After the four warriors had finished their battles, they all stopped to listen to their surroundings. They heard Yang yell in a bit of rage and fury behind each word.

"You monsters!" she yelled in the distance.

Bingwen looked towards the other three who nodded and followed his lead. As they were running towards her location, they could hear the many gunshots and explosions in the distance. Changming assumed that the noises were coming from her gauntlets. She did explain to him what her weapons of choice were back when they were on the ship coming to Beacon. When they arrived, the four saw that Yang and Blake were standing away from each other with a dead ursa at their feet.

The two girls heard their arrival and turned to face them. Yang gave the group a smile, which confused them. Changming was the first to break the silence.

"What happened?" he asked calmly. "We heard someone shout in a fit of rage. Is everything alright here?"

"Everything's great," Yang replied casually as if nothing happened.

"One of these ursa cut off a strand of her hair and she got really angry. She then beat up and killed one of the two ursa using her gauntlets. I just happened to be watching nearby and decided to take care of the other one," Blake simply stated.

"Hey!" Yang protested.

Blake merely smirked at her new teammate's antics. Bingwen sighed heavily and lowered his arms at his sides. Tadashi simply added a 'hmph' and sheathed both his katanas. Mario simply pinched the bridge of his nose. Changming on the other hand was focused on something else, or rather someone else.

 _"I hope she's okay,"_ he thought in his mind. _"She did have a nervous breakdown before we were launched. I just hope whoever paired up with her is easy to work with. It takes a lot of patience to work and deal with a girl like Ruby."_

Elsewhere in the forest…

"Hey watch it!" Ruby exclaimed as she bumped into Weiss.

"Excuse me! You attacked out of turn! I could've killed you!" the heiress retorted.

"You're gonna have to try much harder than that," Ruby mumbled.

The two girls were currently surrounded by a pack of beowolves. A tree that was on fire due to Weiss missing her intended target eventually gave in and collapsed onto the forest floor. This caused the fire to start spreading. Weiss grabbed Ruby by the shoulder and told her that they should leave. Once they were a safe distance away, the two began bickering and arguing about what had just transpired.

Elsewhere…

Jaune Arc was walking along with Pyrrha Nikos ahead of him leading the way. The two were currently trying to find their way towards the temple, but they seemed a bit lost. That was when the two heard gunshots in the distance.

Jaune paused and asked, "Did you hear that?"

"Gunfire," Pyrrha replied, "it would seem that some of our comrades have encountered the enemy."

They walked a bit more. Pyrrha had to push aside a tree branch that stood in their way. She pushed it away with her shield, but she then let go of the branch and it proceeded to smacking Jaune in the face. The blonde knight fell backwards after the impact with a loud thud. He had a scratch on his right cheek.

"Sorry," Pyrrha said looking back at him with regret in her eyes.

"Eh, it's okay," he replied attempting to shrug it off. "It's just a scratch."

Pyrrha walked back to the blonde knight.

"Why didn't you active your aura?" she asked.

"Huh?" was his reply.

"Your aura," she repeated.

"Come again?" he asked lost in the world.

"Jaune," she said. "Do you know what aura is?"

"Yeah, of course I do," he replied attempting to sound intelligent. "Do you know what aura is?"

"Aura is the manifestation of our soul," she began to explain. "It bears our burdens and shields our hearts. Have you ever felt like you were being watched when no one was there?"

 ** _Elsewhere Lie Ren was walking through some tall grass. He stopped after a while to listen to his surroundings. Just then a giant black snake of Grim appeared behind him hissing. It attempted to attack him with its fangs, but it missed as he jumped over the creature._**

"Huh yeah," he replied still confused.

"With practice," she stated walking around him, "our aura can be our shields.

Everyone has it, even animals."

"What about monsters?" Jaune asked curiously.

"No," she replied, "the monsters we fight lack a soul. They are Creatures of Grim. They are manifestation of animosity. They are the darkness. We are the light."

 ** _Back with the four warriors, Changming was fighting an ursa major in a one-on-one show down. The others had dispatched of the other ursa that was with the pack, but only the major remained, and Changming was the closest one to the alpha. Changming and the Ursa Major rushed at one another. Changming cocked his right fist back, and the Ursa Major raised its right claw in the air. The two attacks collided with one another sending each recipient skidding back._**

"Right," Jaune replied understandingly, "that's why we fight them."

 ** _Ren was currently running about trying to dodge the attacks from the giant snake, also known as a King Taijitu. At one point, Ren jumped back and landed on the ground skidding a little bit. The King Taijitu attempted to coil around Ren and trap him, but Ren leapt out of the center of the giant snake and began shooting rounds out of his two submachine guns as he hurled over the giant serpent. The serpent grim attempted to bite him a couple of times, but Ren dodged all of those attempts and managed to land some strikes and hits from the blades attached to his submachine guns._**

"It's not about why, it's about knowing," Pyrrha continued. "Understanding both the light and the dark helps us manifest our aura. Everyone has some of both."

 ** _The Ursa Major that Changming was fighting charged at him again. He crouched down and formed an ice sword. He then held the sword down to his right side with both of his hands the makeshift hilt. As the Ursa drew nearer and nearer, Changming tightened the grip on his sword and waited. When the Ursa was within arms-reach, it got up on its hind legs and let out a roar before raising one of its claws up getting ready to strike down the young Lin Kuei. As it did this, Changming jumped up and slashed the sword cleanly through the Ursa Major's neck. Changming landed back down and had the sword disappear turning into a misty like substance for a brief second. While that happened, the Ursa's head slowly fell off its neck and the body fell onto the ground with a loud thud._**

"By bearing our soul as an outside force, we can deflect harm. All of our tools and equipment are conduits for aura. You project yourself and your soul while fighting," she finished stating.

"It's like a force field!" Jaune exclaimed like a little kid.

"Yes," she said with a small smile, "if you wanna look at it that way."

 ** _At some point during his battle, Ren lost both of his weapons in the process and was now struggling to prevent the King Taijitu from biting him. He was using his aura as a defensive barrier at the moment. He then quickly grabbed the fangs of the black-headed Taijitu and broke its fangs by ripping them out forcefully using his aura to help him. The shadow serpent tried to strike at him once again, but Ren easily side stepped out of the way and lodged one of the fangs into its right eye. Then using his aura again, he used his palm to push the fang to go deeper inside the serpent's skull. This ended up with the black-headed Taijitu's head exploding into oblivion. He then rushed towards the white-headed King Taijitu_**

"Now," Pyrrha said calmly and soothingly, "close your eyes and concentrate."

As she said this, she placed her left hand on his right cheek. Jaune confused and nervous at the same time did what she told him to do. They both had their eyes closed. It was at this moment that the Spartan Idol was unlocking his power. Both teenagers began to glow brightly.

As she did this, Pyrrha recited the words, "For it is in the passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite, distant, and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."

After that, Pyrrha became exhausted. Jaune became concerned for her, but she told him that she was all right. She explained to him that she used her aura to unlock his. She was impressed with the amount of aura that the young knight had. Jaune's cut then instantly vanished as if it was never there in the first place.

Elsewhere…

Ren had finished off the King Taijitu. He was busy dusting himself off when he heard someone attempting to make an animal noise. Low and behold, it was is best friend since his childhood Nora hanging upside down in a tree. He looked up and smiled at her.

"I still don't think that's what a sloth sounds like," he stated.

Nora simply tapped him on his nose and added a 'boop' sound. Ren gave another smile at his best friend's antics.

Back with the Kombat Warriors…

"This is so dull," Bingwen complained as he walked along the path they were currently heading down.

"Weren't you just annoyed moments ago when we were fighting the Ursa back there?" Mario asked while rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, but my idea of a test was fighting other people for opponents, not ugly wannabe beasts," he replied as he place both hands behind his head.

"Nothing appeases you cousin," Changming stated rather than asked.

Bingwen ignored the comment as he continued to walk along at a semi-leisurely pace.

Back at the cliffs…

Professor Ozpin was standing at the edge of the cliff looking down at his tablet observing the freshman students. Professor Goodwitch came up behind him with her own tablet.

"The last pair has been formed sir," she said simply while tapping on her screen. "Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Poor boy, I can't possibly see those two getting along. Still, he's better off than Miss Nikos."

Ozpin simply gave her a "Uh huh" in a humming tune.

"I don't care what his transcripts say," she continued with her rant, "that Jaune fellow is not ready for this level of combat."

She turned off her tablet before adding, "I guess we'll find out soon enough."

She turned around and began walking away while saying, "Well in any case the rate their going at they should reach the temple within a few minutes."

She paused briefly before turning around and asking, "Speaking of which, what did you use as relics this year?"

Ozpin didn't answer her.

"Professor Ozpin?" she attempted once more.

The said headmaster was currently looking down at his tablet observing two specific cameras. One was focused on Ruby and Weiss, while the other one was focused on the four Kombat Clan ninjas.

Back with the Kombat Clan members…

The two came into a clearing seeing what appeared to be the remains of a temple.

"Is this the temple?" asked Bingwen with a puzzled expression.

"What's possibly left of one," replied Mario.

"We should probably grab some pieces don't you think?" Changming added.

"Yes, we should and go back towards the cliffs immediately," Tadashi responded quickly.

Tadashi grabbed a black knight piece and showed it to Bingwen who simply shrugged and nodded in agreement. Mario was contemplating on what piece to get. Changming was also looking at the various pieces on their pillars. However, when he came upon the white queen piece, he noticed that the white king piece was not on its pillar.

He looked around the pillar and noticed that it was a few feet away lying in the grass. Changming walked over and picked it up and presented it to Mario. Mario agreed to take the piece and the two turned their attention back towards Bingwen and Tadashi.

Just as they reached the older Lin Kuei member and the older Shirai Ryu, the four heard rustling coming from some nearby bushes the four were about to draw their weapons and get into their defensive stances, but they relaxed when they noticed it was merely two other competitors. The two were Yang and another girl with raven hair and a black bow.

Bingwen walked up to the blonde brawler and greeted her, which she too did. She then introduced her partner who was known as Blake Belladonna. Changming remembered her as the other girl who was watching and listening to Weiss, Ruby and Yang argue with one another.

"So chess pieces huh?" Yang asked with little interest.

"Yeah," replied Bingwen, "we grabbed ours already."

Yang looked over his shoulder and saw both the temple and its pieces, and the other three behind him. She gave Changming a wave of 'hello' and he returned it. She then walked past Bingwen and introduced herself to Mario and Tadashi. The two returned the kind gesture, or rather Mario returned the kind gesture and Tadashi stood in place with his arms still folded across his chest.

"Greetings Yang," Mario began, "I am Mario Vrbada. But my friends and sometimes my family call me Smoke."

"Nice to meet ya!" Yang said cheerily.

"Likewise."

She then turned her attention towards Tadashi.

"And you are?"

"I am Tadashi Hasashi. I am called Scorpion at times," Tadashi simply replied.

"Cool. Pleasure to meet ya," Yang said.

She then turned her attention towards the temple and picked up a golden knight piece. She turned attention back towards Blake.

"How about a cute little pony?" she asked.

Blake, with a small smile, simply replied "Sure".

"That wasn't very hard," Yang said cheerily.

"Well, it's not like this place is difficult to find," Blake said still smiling.

"Yeah, it's not difficult to find, but difficult to get to," Bingwen said including himself in their conversation.

Back elsewhere…

Jaune and Pyrrha found themselves in a cave. Although little did they know that the cave meant huge trouble for them. Jaune was leading the way with a torch lit in his hands, however he ended up falling along with the torch. Just then a glowing 'relic' appeared in front of the two and Jaune attempted to grab it. He eventually managed to grab hold of it with both of his hands. What happened next was completely expected. Out from the shadows appeared a giant scorpion-like grim known as a Death Stalker. Its stinger was the 'relic' that Jaune was currently holding. Once Jaune was face to face with the giant grim, he let out a very loud shriek that would be confused for a very scared girl's scream.

Back at the ruins…

"Sounds like a girl's in trouble! Guys did you hear that?" exclaimed Yang turning her head back towards the forest.

'Nope, that was just Jaune screaming his head off,' Changming thought internally while sweat dropping. 'If anything, most likely his partner is calmer than he is at the moment. I honestly feel bad for the both of them. One, I feel bad for Jaune for not being ready for this type of combat, and two, I feel bad for the other person who is stuck with him. And I'm being judgmental again.'

Yang turned towards everyone present and asked concerned, "Guys what should we do?"

Just then Changming noticed a small shadow flying overhead. He looked up to see a familiar red cape streaking across the sky.

"Ruby?" he asked out loud.

"Heads up!" she yelled as she soared through the air.

Changming simply thought to himself, 'Well that's going to end horribly. Time to play hero I guess. Can this get any worse?'


	8. Players, Pieces, & a Thunder God

Chapter 5: Players, Pieces, & a Thunder God

"I've really got to shut my mouth," Changming said mumbled.

"Yeah, you should," Mario retorted having heard his best friend's mumbled words.

"Just shut up and fight idiot," Changming replied.

The group of twelve found themselves in a bit of a pickle. The four-clan members were currently fighting a giant strange lion like Grim creature while Ruby, Yang, Blake, and Weiss were holding off a Nevermore, and Jaune's group, which consists of Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, and Jaune himself, were fending off a Deathstalker.

"How did this happen?" Bingwen grunted out loud as he ducked down dodging an oncoming swipe from the Grim's claw and rolled to his side.

"Hmm. Let me think," Mario said sarcastically.

 **(Flashback)**

 _Ruby was falling from the sky towards the ground. Everyone present was looking up to see what the commotion was about. Changming was about to go and save her from falling onto the ground, but Jaune appeared out of nowhere and crashed right into the poor red head girl._

 _'Well so much for that,' he thought to himself._

 _"Did your sister just fall from the sky?" Blake asked Yang._

 _"I…" Yang barely managed._

 _She was interrupted when the two girls heard a roar and then an explosion coming from the forest. The clan members and the two girls turned towards the direction of the explosion. A giant ursa appeared from the forest appearing to be agitated by something, or rather someone. There was an explosion of pink smoke that occurred behind the creature before it spun forward and fell on its stomach now dead. The orange haired girl Nora appeared and vaulted over the downed Ursa._

 _"Aww," she complied, "it's broken."_

 _Ren shortly came out of the forest panting._

 _"Nora," he addressed his friend, "don't ever to that again."_

 _He looked up after catching his breath to see the said individual to be missing from her spot. The said girl was currently looking at a gold rook piece and was singing she was queen of the castle. Ren had to yell to get her attention, which ended her little gimmick._

 _"Coming Ren," she said happily while skipping her way towards her long time friend._

 _"Did that girl just ride an Ursa?" Blake asked still questioning what she just witnessed._

 _Once again Yang was about to answer her question when the group heard screech of some kind and noticed that the trees nearby were rustling. Out came Pyrrha running away from the Deathstalker that she and Jaune encountered earlier._

 _"Well this is a nice surprise," Bingwen said randomly._

 _"Is it now?" Mario asked sarcastically._

 _Ruby made it down from the tree that she and Jaune had crashed into. She was about to give her sister a hug before Nora got between the two sisters randomly shouting out her name._

 _"This is really starting to irritate me," Tadashi grumbled._

 _"Chill hothead," Bingwen joked to the Shirai Ryu._

 _"Again with the pun Bingwen," Changming asked with a face palm._

 _"Did she just run all the way over here with a Deathstalker on her tail?" Blake asked._

 _This time Yang exploded and her hair seemed to be on fire and her usual lilac eyes turned red._

 _"I can't take it anymore!" she exclaimed. "Can everyone just chill for two seconds before something crazy happens?"_

 _'Nope,' Changming thought to himself as he looked up to see a certain heiress hanging on a claw of a Nevermore._

 _"How could you leave me?" Weiss yelled._

 _"I said jump," Ruby replied lamely._

 _"She's going to fall," Blake stated._

 _"She'll be fine," Ruby dismissed._

 _"She's falling," Ren pointed out._

 _"Yes she is," Mario added pointlessly._

 _"Oi Tadashi. Save her," Bingwen said._

 _"And why would I do that?" the new Scorpion asked while crossing his arms over his chest._

 _"What do you think your mother would say if you let a poor girl fall to her death?" Bingwen pointed out._

 _The young Shirai Ryu stood in his place for a second and visibly shivered at the thought of his mother being very angry with him._

 _He sighed & said in a matter of fact tone, "Fine, but just this once."_

 _Bingwen raised his hands up and shrugged. Tadashi walked over to where he noticed the young heiress would fall based on her shadow. At some point during the fall, Jaune jumped off the branch of the tree he crashed into and managed to catch Weiss in his arms for a brief moment before the two held each other close realizing their situation. Jaune ended up falling face first into the dirt while Tadashi caught the heiress. When she noticed that she hadn't hit the ground, she turned to see who her savior was. Seeing it was Tadashi, she blushed a little, but quickly went back to her "heiress" way._

 _"Thank you," she mumbled looking away from him._

 _"Your welcome," Tadashi replied simply._

 _He then dropped her on the ground to which she simply moaned in pain and sent a small glare at the Shirai Ryu._

 _"What was that for?" she demanded._

 _"Don't think I've forgiven you Schnee," he simply said before walking away from the young heiress._

 _Tadashi didn't see it, but Weiss had an upset look on her face._

 _"Way to go bro," Bingwen said to his rival._

 _"I did my good deed for her for the week," Tadashi said._

 _"Oh so you plan on doing her a favor every week huh?" the older Lin Kuei member asked._

 _Tadashi sent him a small glare to which Bingwen simply chuckled at this. The group was idly standing in front of the pillars when Pyrrha suddenly decided to dive forward and landed in front of the group._

 _"Why are we just standing here again?" Mario asked._

 _"I have no clue buddy," Changming replied slightly confused to as to why they haven't moved._

 _"Great! The gang is all here. Now we can die together," Yang said sarcastically._

 _"Not if I can help it," Ruby said before dashing off towards the Deathstalker._

 _"Ruby wait!" Yang exclaimed, but fell deaf ears to her younger sister._

 _"I got her!" Changming said before chasing off after the younger sister._

 _Ruby brought her scythe back and was about to strike the Deathstalker, but it batted her away as if she were a fly. She got up and shouted that she was fine. She turned around to see the Deathstalker had gotten closer to her. She shot a round at it before backing away from the giant scorpion monster. Changming, who was surfing along some ice thanks to his powers, shot an ice beam at the Deathstalker's right pincher. He got in between Ruby and the Deathstalker thus creating a distraction for the young girl._

 _"Go back towards your sister. I got this covered!" he said loudly and quickly._

 _The Deathstalker tried using its other claw to swipe at Changming, but the younger Lin Kuei member narrowly dodged the oncoming attack and continued to maneuver around the beast. Ruby had nodded in reply to Changming's command and began to run back towards Yang, who was running at her sister as well. Unfortunately, fate couldn't be crueler to the two sisters. The Nevermore that Ruby and Weiss were riding on earlier was also in pursuit of Ruby and launched a series of its sharp and deadly feathers at the two girls._

 _One feather managed to pin Ruby's cape to the ground while the rest went ahead of her and blocked off Yang's path. Changming turned around briefly to see Ruby had been pinned to the ground. He turned around just in time to see the Deathstaler use its left pincher to backhand him out of the way._

 _"Changming!" Bingwen exclaimed now running out to help him._

 _Mario and Tadashi followed after the older Sub-Zero. Yang got back up after having fell down to the ground to prevent a stray feather from hitting her._

 _"Get out of there!" she yelled to her sister._

 _"I'm trying," Ruby yelled back while grunting and struggling to get free of the feather._

 _The Deathstalker approached its soon-to-be victim and readied to its stinger to impale the young girl. Yang was about to go on an all out sprint to go save Ruby, but a white blur went past her. As the stinger was coming down, Ruby closed her eyes and waited to be impaled. However the attack never came and Ruby heard the familiar voice of Weiss lecturing her. Ruby looked to see that Weiss had used one of her glyphs to make an ice barrier that stopped the stinger just in time._

 _The three Kombat Clan members made it over to the two girls shortly afterwards. Changming and Mario went over to a downed Bingwen just a few yards away. Tadashi stood next to Ruby and Weiss. The said Shirai Ryu went towards the Deathstalker, which was struggling to get its tail out. Tadashi then ignited his fist on fire and then set a strong uppercut at the Grim's pincers. The beast broke out of its imprisonment and went flying back a good several yards. Tadashi huffed and extinguished his flames. He went over to Ruby and pulled the feather out of the ground and tossed it aside as if it were nothing._

 _Tadashi then went over to check on Changming without another word. Ruby and Weiss both said thanks, but the young Shirai Ryu simply waved it off and continued to check on the youngest Lin Kuei member. Weiss and Ruby were able to reach an accord and the two girls simply gave the other a small smile. Yang ran over to Ruby and gave her a hug, to which she returned._

 _"I'm so glad you're okay," she said happily._

 _The two sisters gave each other a smile._

 ** _(A minute later…)_**

 _Everyone was alright and recovered from the Deathstalker incident. The Nevermore was circling overhead._

 _"Guys, that thing is coming back," Jaune pointed out in slight fear. "What are we going to do?"_

 _"Look there's no need to dilly dally anymore," Weiss spoke up. "Our objective is right in front of us."_

 _"She's right," Ruby stated. "Our mission is to grab one of the artifacts and make our way back over to the cliffs."_

 _"I have no problem with that," Changming said._

 _"Run and live, that's an idea I can get behind," Jaune said confidently._

 _The four Kombat Clan members all seat dropped._

 _'Of course you would say that,' they all thought simultaneously._

 _Ruby grabbed a golden knight piece and Jaune grabbed a golden rook piece. Bingwen and Changming walked up to two pillars that contained a golden pawn each. The four all nodded and turned to face the rest of the group. There was a loud screech and the group turned towards the Deathstalker that had just recovered from the uppercut Tadashi delivered to it._

 _"It's time we left," Ren stated firmly._

 _"Right, let's go," Ruby said and gestured._

 _Jaune motioned for the rest to follow as well. However Yang and Blake stood back for a minute. Yang had a smile on her face. Blake noticed that Yang hadn't moved._

 _"What is it?" she asked worriedly._

 _"Oh, it's nothing," Yang said dismissively._

 _She was looking over at Ruby who was currently standing over a large rock gesturing for everyone to follow her. Blake looked over to see the same sight and realized what Yang was smiling about. Yang took off and Blake did as well, but not before giving a small smile of her own._

 ** _(Time skip)_**

 _As the group was running, the Nevermore flew over them. They came upon more ruins and noticed that there was an abandoned tower not too far from where they were. There were more individual pillars that were in a row leading to the tower. The group split themselves up and hid in pairs behind some of the pillars. The Nevermore began to circle around the lone tower letting out a screech. As the Nevermore screeched, there was a loud roar that was unfamiliar to the freshmen. They all peeked around their pillars towards the tower. Out from the tower appeared a Grim that no one in the group had seen before. It was a lion-like Grim that made the roar and appeared out of the tower._

 _"What is that?" questioned Mario._

 _"I don't know, but I bet we're going to have to find out," Bingwen stated._

 _The Nevermore then decided to sit perched up on top of the tower blocking the path of the cliffs. It let out a screech indicating that no one or nothing would pass._

 _"Well that's great," Yang said sarcastically._

 _Just then the Deathstalker came out from the woods behind the group really aggravated._

 _"Well, it's fight or die people," Bingwen stated rushing out from beind his pillar and ran towards the lion Grim._

 _"Bingwen wait!" Changming yelled taking off after his older cousin._

 _Tadashi sighed and dashed after the two Sub-Zeros. Mario pinched the bridge of his nose and ran after them as well. The rest of the group also took off after them seeing that they had no other option but to engage the enemy._

 **(Back to the present)**

Somehow in the process of the fight Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang ended up fighting together against the Nevermore. Jaune, Pyrrha, Nore and Ren ended up fighting against the Deathstalker.

"Now I remember!" Mario shouted while dodging an incoming claw strike.

"Now is not the time you two!" Changming shouted.

He ran towards the Grim's exposed left side hoping to kick it away from his best friend. However as fate would have it, the lion Grim turned around and pounced at him.

'Elder Gods' sake,' he thought.

Tadashi however had other plans and decided to full on tackle the Grim creature. The two rolled around in the dust for a few seconds before Tadashi found himself beneath the lion creature. The Grim attempted to bite Tadashi's head off, but he was having none of it. Bingwen came up behind the Grim and formed an ice sword. He stuck the makeshift sword into the hind leg of the lion Grim and backed up. The lion turned roared in pain and Tadashi managed to punch it in the face thus knocking it aside.

Bingwen helped up Tadashi and the two ran over to regroup with Mario and Bingwen who were standing at the ready to attack. The lion got back up and looked over at the four youngsters. It roared and charged at them. The four readied themselves, and Changming had an idea.

"Guys I have an idea," he addressed the other three.

"You better make it quick cousin," Bingwen said still keeping his eyes on the lion.

"Aight. When this lion gets towards us, everyone minus Mario scattered," he instructed.

"You want me to what?" Mario asked outraged by his best friend's request.

"Trust me, everyone scatter, and Mario turn into smoke. When you turn into smoke, I want you to distract the Grim's senses. Once it's distracted, Tadashi I want you to use your chain and reel him in towards use when we regroup. Bingwen, you and I will form ice swords and stab this thing into oblivion," he finished stating.

"I hope this works little cousin," Bingwen said still concentrating.

Just as he finished saying that, the lion Grim was only a yard away from them.

"Now!" Changming yelled.

Tadashi, Bingwen, and Changiming dove in multiple directions while Mario stood in place for a split second before transforming into a cloud of smoke. The lion went through the smoke cloud, but Mario, being the smoke cloud, followed in pursuit. Mario went over to the face of the lion creature making it cough and irritated about the lack of air it was getting. It was scratching and swiping at the air hoping that the smoke would go away, but it was futile. The other three regrouped quickly and Changming gave the order.

"Tadashi!" Changming ordered.

Tadashi stepped forward and shot out his chain with an attached kunai at the end. The kunai pierced its target and the lion Grim roared in pain. Tadashi smirked seeing he hit his mark.

"Get over here!" Tadashi exclaimed while heaving the creature towards the two Sub-Zeros and himself.

Once the lion was within their range, the two Sub-Zeros froze part of the Grim creature in place and stabbed it in the head and in the abdomen where the heart would usually be in a normal animal. The creature let out a yelp before it stopped moving and began to slowly dissipate.

Mario transformed back into his physical body and the other three sighed in relief and looked towards the cliffs. In fact, they turned towards the cliffs just in time to see Ruby cut the head of the Nevermore off. Everyone walked over to where Weiss, Blake and Yang were currently standing. They all looked up in amazement, shock, and awe.

"Well, that was a thing," Yang said simply.

"And she's only fifteen?" Bingwen asked to no one in particular.

"Yep," Changming gave the reply.

There was a moment of silence before Jaune spoke interrupting it.

"Wait what?" he asked.

 **(Later on…)**

"Cardin Winchester, Russel thrush, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, the four of you will work together as Team CRDL (Cardinal). Led by Cardin Winchester," Professor Ozpin stated.

The audience in attendance applauded and the four new team members walked off the stage. After the group had finished off their fights, they made their way back up to the top of the cliffs and over to the auditorium. They handed their chess pieces to Ms. Goodwitch, and Professor Ozpin and then stood amongst the rest of the other freshmen waiting for their group to be called and presented.

"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, and Nora Valkyrie," he called upon next. "The four of you retrieved the four of you received the white rook pieces."

'Those were white? My eyes must be bad,' Changming thought to himself.

"From this day onward, the four of you will work together as Team JNPR (Juniper)," Ozpin continued. "Led by Jaune Arc."

"Wait led by?" Jaune questioned.

"Say what?" questioned Bingwen.

"What?" asked Changming.

"How?" Mario added.

"Hn," Tadashi simply said, or lack thereof.

"Congratulation young man," Ozpin said with a small smile.

Pyrrha smiled at her stunned partner and "lightly" punched him on his shoulder. This caused the young knight to fall over. Pyrrha helped him up and the four made their way off the stage as Ozpin was calling over Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang.

"Next Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long," he called upon the girls.

Changming watched Ruby in particular and smiled as she walked on stage. Bingwen noticed this and elbowed his younger cousin giving him a grin. Changming shook his head and focused back on the four girls on stage.

"The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY (Ruby ?). Led by Ruby Rose," Ozpin concluded.

"I'm so proud of you!" Yang exclaimed happily and gave Ruby a hug.

Ozpin smiled before calling upon the last group.

"Tadashi Hisashi, Mario Vrbada, Bingwen Han, and Changming Liang," he called out.

The four-clan members stood side by side and faced the headmaster of the academy.

"The four of you retrieved the white pawn pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CMBT (Combat). Led by Changming Liang," Ozpin concluded.

Changming was indeed surprised by what Ozpin had just stated. However, his three friends and now teammates couldn't be happier for the younger Sub-Zero.

"Awesome! Way to go Changming!" Bingwen congratulated while patting him on the back.

"You deserve it my friend," Mario added.

"You have brought great honor to your family. I couldn't ask for a better leader to help serve," Tadashi said sincerely.

"Thanks you guys," Changming replied with a smile.

Ozpin smiled & said to himself, "Hmm. It seems like this will be an interesting year."

 **(Later that evening in an unknown location…)**

Roman Torchwick was scanning over a map with some writing and other marks on it. He sighed in frustration before pulling out a cigar from his coat pocket and lighting it. As he did so, a faunus soldier came in with a cart and a box on it. Roman gave the soldier some cards of some sort and told the soldier to open the box. The soldier did what he was told to do and the box revealed a good number of dust crystals in it. Roman looked in the box and picked up a blue crystal.

"We're going to need a lot more men," he said.

 **(Back a Beacon…)**

Professor Ozpin was walking back to his office. Ms. Goodwitch was nice enough to make him another cup of coffee before he went upstairs to finish some paperwork he had left to read and analyze. However, he was in for a big surprise when he got there. He opened the massive doors going into his office. The first thing he noticed was that the lights in his office were on and there was a person present in the room wearing what appeared to be a straw hat, white robes, and a blue vest over the robes. Ozpin knew who exactly his visitor is.

"Hello Raiden," he said formally as possible.

"Headmaster Ozpin," Raiden turned around and returned the gesture.

"Please, no need for such formalities amongst friends Raiden," Ozpin said. "Please have a seat."

Ozpin walked over to his desk chair while Raiden walked over to the front of the desk and sat in one of the guest chairs.

"Would you care for a beverage?" Ozpin asked politely.

Raiden chuckled and answered, "You should know the answer to that by now my friend."

Ozpin smiled & said, "I guess I should. I just keep forgetting you're a god, an elder god at that. However, you are my guest, and a host must treat his guest or guests well right?"

Raiden smiled again and nodded before there was a moment of silence between the two. Ozpin was the first to speak.

"What brings you here this evening?" he asked curious as to why the Thunder god came for a visit.

"I'm here to see the current status of the Fall Maiden, and to check on the new generation of Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu. Their families have asked for me to check on them," Raiden answered in a serious tone.

"I see," Ozpin said. "Your latter concern is none existent. The boys are fine. As for your first concern, why don't you come see for yourself."

 **(Much later that night…)**

The moon was up high in the sky. It was a nice cool evening. Changming was sitting on the roof looking up at the sky. It just so happen that the stars were also visible during this night to illuminate the night sky along with the shattered moon. After the ceremony, the new teams were shown to their rooms where they would be staying. The clan members all moved their belongings into the room before meeting up with Teams RWBY and JNPR before calling it a night. The young Sub-Zero however couldn't sleep and quietly made his way up to the roof without disturbing anyone.

However a certain red-haired girl was up at this hour trying to sneak in a midnight snack that consisted of milk and a lot of cookies. Ruby saw Changming quietly making his way to the roof and decided to follow him while still holding the milk and cookies in her hands. When she finally got to the roof, she noticed that Changming was staring up into the sky. She had to admit that the sky was beautiful this evening. She then looked at the back of Changming. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt and navy blue jogging pants.

"Beautiful night isn't it?" Changming spoke up braking the silence.

Ruby gave an 'eep' sound. She was caught red handed.

Changming turned around to face Ruby.

"Sorry about that Ruby," he apologized. "Force of habit."

Ruby breathed & replied, "It's alright Changming. No harm done. What are you doing up here?"

Changming gave her a gentle smile and said, "Oh just trying to clear my head a little. Late night snack?"

Ruby looked between her milk and plate of cookies. She gave him a sheepish grin. Changming chuckled and gestured for her to join him. Ruby shrugged her shoulders and sat on his right. The two remained in silence for several minutes. Well silence for the most part minus the sound of Ruby munching on her cookies. Changming chuckled at the site he was seeing before him. Ruby would literally engulf an entire cookie and then take a quick sip of her milk before eating another one.

Once Ruby finished devouring her cookies and drank the rest of her milk, the two youngsters shared a comfortable silence while looking up at the bright night sky. Ruby was sitting with her legs straight out in front of her and was leaning back on her hands to look up. She then looked over to Changming who was doing the same thing. She looked up at his facial features. She couldn't help but blush at the boy in front of her. He was only a year older than her, but he looked handsome in her eyes.

Changming felt Ruby's gaze and looked at the young Rose. Ruby quickly looked back at the sky hoping that Changming didn't catch her staring at him. He simply raised an eyebrow and looked back at the sky. Within that second he looked back, a shooting star streaked across the sky.

"Hey Changming!" Ruby said in an excited yet hush tone. "A shooting star! Make a wish!"

Ruby closed her eyes while breathing in and holding her hands up into fists near her heart area of her chest. Changming smiled and closed his eyes too, but was less dramatic about the wish making. Changming opened his eyes to see Ruby looking at him with a smile.

"So," Ruby said dragging out the "o", "what did you wish for?"

"I wish to be the next Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei to continue protect the world like my ancestors before me," he said honestly.

"That's a big wish," Ruby stated. "I'm sure you'll achieve that."

"Thanks Ruby," Changming said. "How about you? What did you wish for?"

"I wish to become one of the greatest Huntresses in the world to help the people of Remnant," she happily declared. "I hope that everyone lives happily ever after."

Changming smiled again for the nth time today. He couldn't help but smile every time he spoke with Ruby. This girl was just filled with determination, optimism and hope. Those traits are some things that many people in today's world lack. The two turned their attention back up at the starry sky with content smiles on their faces.

 **(Elsewhere…)**

In an unknown location, a woman with white skin and pretty much white everything about her was looking out over a cliff. She was alone by herself. The area she stood in had darkness surrounding it. It was like if the Netherrealm physically appeared on Remnant's surface. She gave an evil giggle before speaking her mind to no one but herself.

"Soon this world will fall into chaos. And you my dear Raiden will fall back under the corruption you once were influenced by during that period of time. In due time, you will realize the true strength and power that comes from corruption. And together, you and I will rule all of Remnant, and perhaps all the realms that have been forgotten by the people in today's world," she said and ended with a malicious smile.


	9. The Badge, The Burden, & the Mist Pt 1&2

**Quick Note: After this chapter, I will post an author's note on why I was inactive during the month of December. Thank you all for continuous support. I sincerely apologize for my inactivity with my stories. I am almost done with the res of volume 1. I only have about 1 1/2 chapters left to write, so please be patient and I will get those out as soon as I can. Without further ado, Chapter 6. Thanks dudes!**

Chapter 6: The Badge, The Burden, & The Mist Pt. 1 & 2

It was the first official day of classes at Beacon Academy. Team CMBT was getting ready to start their day. The four-clan members had woken up early to unpack their belongings. Tadashi and Mario were dressed and ready while Changming was finishing up in the bathroom. Bingwen was struggling to put on his uniform, more specifically his tie. He tried to pull hard on the tie in hopes of making the thing go up towards his throat, but he ended up tightening the knot even more. He sighed and gave up leaving his top button of his white long-sleeved shirt open and his tie in its knotted state.

"Damn uniform policy," Bingwen grumbled.

"You know we could've helped you right?" Mario stated the obvious.

"You two aren't girls," Bingwen pointed out.

"And?" Mario questioned raising his eyebrow.

"If you're not girls, then I do not need your help," Bingwen replied simply as if it were common knowledge.

"You're hopeless," Mario said.

"Agreed," Tadashi added.

The bathroom door opened and Changming stepped out in his new uniform all nice and tidy. The only mishap was he forgot to tuck in his shirt. The other three turned their attention to their team leader.

"I'm ready," he stated.

"Took you long enough," Bingwen said sarcastically.

"At least he can tie a tie," Mario teased.

"Hey! When you live in a village for most of your life without any use of ties throughout most of your life, you aren't used to having to wear these things or even tie them," he replied hoping to convince them of his logic.

"I kind of have to agree with him on this Mario. There have been only a few times that we had to wear a suit and tie. Although, the ties were already tied for him, so he didn't have to do anything but tighten them," Changming said remembering the times his older cousin would simply pull on the tie to make it tight.

Mario turned towards Bingwen and said, "You are hopeless."

Bingwen hug his head down and trudged towards their dorm room door.

"Let's just go get breakfast and then head to class," he said simply.

"Do we have time?" Tadashi asked.

He didn't want to be late for class. Changming took out his scroll and looked at the time. His scroll was displaying 8:00 a.m.

"We have about an hour before class starts," he replied.

"Alright. Let's head to the cafeteria then," Mario said.

 **(Thirty minutes later…)**

The four friends were eating and talking amongst each other about their home and past adventures together. A thought suddenly entered the mind of the eldest Sub-Zero.

"Should we wake up the others?" Bingwen randomly asked.

"Do you want to?" Changming questioned.

"We should leave them be," Tadashi answered.

"Oh come on Tadashi. Don't you want to see Weiss?" Bingwen teased.

"You mean Ice Queen? Like I'd like to ever see that Schnee ever again," Tadashi scoffed.

"You really hate her that much?" Mario asked.

"She is the daughter of a greedy and blind old fool. She is as blind and ignorant of the world as her father," Tadashi stated firmly.

"You should give her a chance Tadashi. She's still growing just like us," Changming attempted to reason.

"With all do respect Changming, you have not met her nor dealt with her before. She is a despicable human being. She looks down upon all faunus because of the White Fang," he said with disgust.

"Everyone is affected by the White Fang Tadashi. She may have more reason to hate them than we do. I agree with you on the fact that she can't take out her anger on all faunus, but the Schnee Dust Company has been affected by White Fang attacks. Heck I've heard once that she was even a target for their operation," Bingwen stated.

Tadashi sat in silence staring down at his bowl of half eaten oatmeal. He pondered on Bingwen's words for a moment. The other three were looking amongst each other and then looked over to the only Shirai Ryu present. After another moment of silence, Changming looked at his scroll to see that they had twenty minutes left until the first class of the day was to begin. He got the attention of his teammates and they finished their food quickly and efficiently. Once they placed their trays and dishes on one of the cleaning carts they headed off to their first class, which was Grim Studies with Professor Port.

"So back to my original question," Bingwen interjected breaking the long silence.

Mario face palmed, Tadashi groaned, and Changming sighed.

"I'm sure they'll make it on time," he replied.

Bingwen shrugged and they continued their way to class.

 **(9:00 a.m.)**

The four-clan members were waiting for their lecture to begin. Some students were just arriving. Professor Port had also just arrived and had to arrange a few things before he began his lecture. Team CMBT sat in the third row from the lecture floor. The order from left to right was Mario, Changming, Bingwen, and then Tadashi, if one was to look at them from the lecture floor of course. The four of them were looking at the fellow peers walking into the classroom, but none of the other students were Teams RWBY or JNPR.

"So I think we should've gone and gotten them," Bingwen stated.

"If you don't shut up Bingwen, then I will have your head!" Tadashi yelled at him in a cartoon-like matter.

Bingwen was "cleaning" his left ear after Tadashi yelled at him.

"Jeez. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," he said jokingly.

"They'll be here Bingwen. Just have patience," Changming said with a slight irritated tone.

"He just wants to see Yang again," Mario stated bluntly.

Bingwen turned towards the smoke ninja to make a retort, but he couldn't think of one on the spot. Just then there was the sound of pushing, grunting, arguing, and pretty much everything that sounded like a group of people trying to get through the door. The four-clan memebers turned their attention towards the door to see both Teams RWBY and JNPR trying to push and squeeze their way through one another to get to class.

"I told you so," Bingwen said with a grin.

"That's it!" Tadashi exclaimed as he summoned a flame into the palm of his left hand.

"Tadashi wait!" Changming pleaded while getting up and attempting to stop the Shirai Ryu from igniting the whole room.

 **(Moments later…)**

"Monsters! Demons… Prowlers of the Night. Yes, the creatures of Grim have many names," Professor Port stated with an enthusiastic tone. "But I merely refer to them as prey."

Ruby was snoring, Weiss was writing notes, Yang was sitting upright trying to listen but in reality was drifting off into space, and Blake was listening to Professor port's lecture more than Yang, but was also having some difficulty. Professor Port began chuckling at his poor joke, which woke up the young red hooded huntress in training. No one else was laughing along with him. Instead the room was filled with cricket noises.

'Wait there are cricket noises playing?' Changming asked internally.

'This guy is so cringe worthy that I'm about to walk out the door,' was Mario's thought.

'When are we going to fight something?' Tadashi thought impatiently.

Bingwen was snoring softly between Tadashi and Changming. The three awake warriors looked at their sleeping friend.

"And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy," Professor Port awkwardly continued. "Now as I was saying, Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world. Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more, than to tear you to pieces. And that's where we come in."

"This guy is a try hard," Bingwen mumbled.

Tadashi, Mario, and Changming all turned their attention upon their now awake friend and teammate. They didn't know that Bingwen had woke up from his short slumber.

"When did you wake up?" Changming asked in a whisper.

Bingwen shrugged & replied, "Eh. Not to long ago."

"Hunters. Huntresses," Professor Port said while clicking his tongue and winking at Yang.

Yang awkwardly laughed and rolled her eyes. Bingwen suddenly got up and was about to go clock Professor Port. However it took all three of his teammates to hold him back.

"Let me at him! I'm gonna teach that pervert a thing about age difference!" Bingwen exclaimed while attempting to leap above the desk.

Tadashi was holding the elder Sub-Zero back by locking his arms around Bingwen's, Changming was push his cousin back down to his seat, and Mario was simply scolding the elder Sub-Zero telling him to shut up. The entire class and Professor Port were watching the amusing scene in front of them. Yang was watching Bingwen in particular. She had heard what he said once Professor Port made his comment. Changming finally had enough and punched his older cousin on the top of his head.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" Bingwen yelled at his cousin.

"So you can calm down, sit your ass in that seat, and listen to the rest of this boring lecture," Changming stated calmly.

Bingwen huffed & said, "Whatever."

 **(A moment later…)**

After the little scene from Team CMBT, Professor Port continued on with his lecture.

"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves. From what you ask? Why? The very world," he lectured on.

A student stood up and cheered after the professor's last statement. The said student awkwardly looked around and saw that no one else had cheered. He sat back down and the professor continued on with his lecture.

"That is what you are training to become. But first, a story," the professor continued.

'And this is when we time skip,' Changming thought.

 **(Several moments later…)**

Team CMBT didn't know what was going on, but there appeared to be some internal conflict between Team RWBY. Changming glanced over at the said team every now and then. At some point during Professor Port's story, Ruby made a drawing that was making fun of the professor. As the professor continued to tell his tale, Ruby's antics kept following with every important statement about a hunter and huntress Professor Port made. As these antics continued, Weiss got angrier and angrier by the minute. Her gathering anger didn't go unnoticed by Team CMBT. Tadashi in particular was watching the young Schnee intently.

At some point, Professor Port asked for a volunteer and Weiss instantly raised her hand. There was a cage that was in one of the corners of the room. Inside the cage was a Grim creature that represented a boar. It is called a Boarbatusk. Weiss went into the changing room and got changed into her combat clothes and gear. After about five minutes, she came out in her typical white combat blouse, skirt and boots. She also had her rapier with her filled with several dust chambers.

She walked out onto the lecture floor and got into a fighting stance. The remaining members of Team RWBY were cheering for her, but when Ruby gave her cheer. Weiss scolded her by saying that she trying to concentrate. This upset the younger huntress a tad bit. This definitely didn't go unnoticed by Team CMBT.

"There's definitely something not right within that team," Mario stated.

"Thanks for the info Captain Obvious," Bingwen said with sarcasm.

"Alright. Let the match begin!" Professor Port said enthusiastically.

He then sliced the lock on the cage door open with his battle-axe. The door slammed down on the ground and the Boarbatusk immediately charged at Weiss. Weiss sidestepped out of the way and brought her rapier down on the head of the Boarbatusk. However the said Grim simply shook it off and snorted turning back to face a now slightly surprised Weiss.

"Haha! Wasn't expecting that were you?" Professor Port commentated.

Weiss decided to attack the Boarbatusk through a full frontal assault. She leapt and glided for a moment before encountering the Boarbatusk. The Grim creature threw its tusks at her and managed to lock itself with the young huntress. Weiss had trouble getting her rapier out from the Boarbatusk's tusks.

"A bold new approach. I like it!" the professor continued on.

'This dude is nuts,' thought Mario while observing the battle.

Tadashi clenched his fists while sitting patiently and watching Weiss's fight. It appears that her anger towards Ruby was clouding her judgment. His theory was proven right when Ruby cheered for Weiss once again and the young Schnee turned her attention away from her fight for a split second. The Boarbatusk then tossed her rapier aside leaving her defenseless.

"Well. You can kiss this Schnee goodbye," Bingwen stated casually.

His three teammates all gave him deadpan looks.

"What?" he asked while shrugging his shoulders.

The Boarbatusk shook of Weiss and then head butted her. This sent the young Schnee back several feet.

"What will you do now without your weapon?" Professor Port asked with a tone of 'tune in next time for'.

Weiss looked up and saw that the Boarbatusk hadn't stopped its attack. It was charging at her. Before it even got within a yard of her, Tadashi leapt over his desk and rolled out between Weiss and the Boarbatusk.

"Tadashi!" Changming called out.

"And here we go," Bingwen stated jokingly.

"Would at least be helpful for once?" Changming asked in a comical fashion.

"What are you talking about? I'm always helpful," Bingwen replied with a cheeky grin.

"I'm surrounded by idiots," Mario muttered.

"You know I can hear you right?" Bingwen asked again with a hint of humor looking over at the modern-day Smoke.

"What do you want? A cookie?" was Mario's retorted.

"I do!" Ruby exclaimed randomly.

"She heard that?" Bingwen questioned.

Tadashi summoned a flame that engulfed his entire fist. When the Boarbatusk was a mere foot away, he brought his right fist back down to his side. Once the Boarbatusk was literally in his face, the young Shirai Ryu performed a flaming uppercut that sent the Grim flying throught the roof and into the sky. Everyone in the room sat or stood in silence as the new Scorpion stood in place looking up at the hole in the ceiling. He then turned his attention back towards the downed Schnee. Weiss made direct eye contact with him. She was still nervous around him because of her first day encounter with the young Shirai Ryu.

"You may want to get your rapier to stab its belly when it comes back down. I hit it so that it would come crashing back down on its stomach first. That should help you with your fight," he said simply.

With that, the young Scorpion walked off back to his seat. Weiss was still in her state of shock, but then quickly shook it off and jogged over to get her rapier. There was a sound of squealing that was getting closer by the second. Everyone looked up at the hole to see that the Borabatusk was indeed coming back down as Tadashi had said it would. Weiss readied herself and attempted to concentrate, but Ruby interrupted her concentration.

"Weiss go for its belly! There's no armor…" Ruby attempted to say

However the angry heiress cut her off.

"Stop telling me what to do!" she yelled at Ruby.

Ruby was hurt by Weiss's anger towards her. Changming looked over and saw Ruby's expression. He pitied her and sent a small glare at Weiss. He would talk with Ruby later after class. As for the battle, the Boarbatusk did come crashing down. Weiss had to dodge out of the way because of her minor distraction. The Boarbatusk was bit shaken and aimlessly charged at Weiss. She summoned a glyph that acted as a shield and sent the dazed Grim flat on its back. Once she noticed this, Weiss took the opportunity to stab the Boarbatsuk in its heart area. The said Grim squealed for a moment before being subdued and finally died.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Professor Port applauded. "It appears we are in the presence of a true huntress in training."

Weiss was panting and could barely hold her own after that incident. Professor Port looked at the time and noticed that class time was up.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and stay vigilant," he reminded everyone. "Class dismissed."

Ruby still and a glum look on her face. Weiss gave her a glare and then walked out of the classroom still in her combat gear.

"Sheesh. What's with her?" Jaune questioned completely oblivious to the situation at hand.

Ruby took off after her hoping to talk with her teammate. Changming saw this and leapt over his desk and chased after her.

"Looks like someone has the hots for a particular redhead," Bingwen observed.

"Would you knock it off already," Mario said irritated.

"Alright! Sheesh! I'm just trying to lighten up the mood," Bingwen tried to defend.

Tadashi walked by the two of them and headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Bingwen asked.

"I'm going to speak with the professor. I have a few questions about today's lecture," he replied simply and walked on without another word.

Mario and Bingwen looked at each other before shrugging and leaving the classroom.

 **(In the hallway…)**

"Weiss! Wait!" Ruby called out.

Weiss turned a corner and decided to stop and confront the younger huntress.

"What?" Weiss spat with venom.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you being…" Ruby tried to ask.

Once again, Weiss decided to cut her off.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked. "What's wrong with you?"

Ruby looked at Weiss for a moment before Weiss decided to continue.

"You're supposed to be a leader, and all you've been so far is a nuisance," she said.

Ruby scoffed before asking, "What did I do?"

"That's just it, you've done nothing to earn your position. Back in the forest you acted like a child and you've only continued to do so," she complained.

"Weiss where is this coming from?" Ruby questioned. "What happened to all the talk about working together? I thought you believed in acting as a team?"

"Not a team led by you," Weiss said firmly. "I've studied and trained, and quite frankly, I deserve better. Ozpin made a mistake."

The young heiress turned her back on Ruby and walked away. Ruby stood in place looking even more depressed. All she could do was look down at the ground. Just then she felt someone gently place a hand on her left shoulder. She turned around to see Changming smiling at her. However she could see in his eyes that he was concerned about her.

"You okay?" he asked soothingly.

Ruby gave him a small smile and replied, "I've been better."

The two turned around to see Professor Ozpin standing there having observed the situation.

"Hmm… Well that didn't seem to go very well," he simply stated.

The two youngsters jumped in surprise.

"Would it kill you to not just stand there in silence?" Changming asked.

"You must be prepared at all times Mr. Lang. Consider this a part of your training to," Ozpin replied and then took a sip of his coffee.

'I swear this guy is addicted to coffee,' Changming thought.

"Is she right? Did you make a mistake?" she questioned the headmaster.

"That remains to be seen," he said.

 **(With Weiss…)**

The young Schnee continued to walk through the halls still angry with her team leader. She then heard voices coming from a balcony area she was passing. She looked to see that Professor Port and Tadashi Hisashi were speaking and chuckling with one another. Even though she didn't like Tadashi, something prompted her to go speak with them.

"Professor Port," she said getting the attention of her teacher.

"Ah, Miss Schnee," replied the professor. "And to what do I owe this fine pleasure?"

"I came to tell you that I enjoyed today's lecture," she said simply.

She turned towards Tadashi who was standing silently the whole time.

"Hello Tadashi," she greeted meekly.

"Ms. Schnee," he returned.

"Of course you did child. You have the blood of a true huntress in you," Professor Port stated bringing her attention back towards the older hunter.

"You really think so?" she asked excitedly.

"Most surely," Professor Port said with enthusiasm.

Weiss smiled, but then that smile turned into a frown.

"Hmm. Something's troubling you," the professor observed.

"Yes sir," Weiss said hesitantly.

"Dear girl, confess to me your strife," he replied in a heroic manner.

'Was that necessary?' Tadashi thought.

"I think I should've been made leader of Team RWBY," she said.

'Is that right?' Tadashi questioned.

He was now a lot more interested in the conversation. There was a moment of silence before Professor Port spoke his mind.

"That's preposterous," he replied bluntly.

 **(Back with Ruby, Changming, & Professor Ozpin)**

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked still confused.

"What he's trying to say is that you haven't even been a leader for a week," Changming interjected. "This is just one day out of many. While time doesn't wait for anyone and you can't get it back, you can learn from the past to ensure you won't make the same mistakes in the present."

Ruby looked at Professor Ozpin for clarification. The headmaster simply nodded in affirmation.

"Ruby. I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet," Ozpin continued. "But I would not consider your appointment to leader to be one of them."

He paused for a moment before asking, "Do you?"

Ruby opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it as she pondered for a moment.

"You aren't the only one who appears to be too young for the position of leader," Professor Ozpin stated. "Remember Changming is only a year older than you Ms. Rose."

"True," Ruby agreed, "but he doesn't have a teammate that wants your head and constantly berates you for every action you take."

There was another moment of silence. Changming was the first to speak up.

"Both you and Professor Ozpin have great points," he told Ruby. "However it does take time to build trust between an individual and another. Sure I grew up with Tadashi, Bingwen, and Mario, but that doesn't mean that I had to build myself up to be who I am today."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked curiously.

"What I'm trying to say is that I wasn't always friends with the other three. Even though Bingwen is my cousin, we didn't necessarily get along all the time. In fact, there was a point that we never even acknowledged each other. Mario, Bingwen and myself all come from the same clan. I won't go into specific details of our clan's history, but let's just say there was some internal conflict between Bingwen's family and my own.

"Mario's family was the 'right hand family' to both Bingwen's and mine. However they chose to not assist our clan until the internal conflict within was resolved. It wasn't until our families put their conflicts aside and decided to solve our problems that Mario's family decided to help with the new restoration of our clan. The three of us got along great after the conflict ended, but we still had another issue to deal with. You can probably guess who I am now referring to," Changming explained.

Ruby nodded in affirmation.

"Tadashi comes from another clan separate of our own. Our ancient ancestors did form an alliance together to bring peace between the two clans, but the generations that followed after our ancestors' time continued to have some quarrel over political ideologies, forms of justice, et cetera. It wasn't until about three years ago that my clan and Tadashi's clan came to an accord and put our differences aside. Truth to be told Ruby, Tadashi's great ancestor was originally part of my clan, but the individual who formed Tadashi's clan broke away from our traditional beliefs and teachings and decided to form his own clan and establish his own teachings and beliefs.

"To make a long story short, and to prove Professor Ozpin's point, all people must be willing to change part of what they are doing in order to work with others. You must make sacrifices in order to achieve greatness and to make the world a better place. Weiss will have to just adjust and live with the decision that was made by Professor Ozpin. She will have to change some of the ways she handles things and sees things. Personally I'm open to listening to others and changing part of my lifestyle if I see that what others say does affect me in some way.

"However that does not mean I entirely change myself as a person and who I am, but rather change the way I approach things, or see things. It's not always the personality. You and I are younger than most other students here. The way you were acting isn't necessarily appropriate, but I understand why you acted the way you did back in Professor Port's class. You're not used to these long lectures. Heck I'm just used to reading and learning on my own accord with the occasional assistance proved by my mother.

"At the end of the day Ruby, the both of you will have to make some changes on how you two are to work with one another and get along. It won't be an easy task, but the chemistry between you and Weiss will eventually fall into place. So what if Weiss thinks she should be leader instead of you. I'll admit that she's a hard worker, but leadership material? That's very questionable. Everything will not work within one day. Only over time will we see if Professor Ozpin's decision was a good one or not," he concluded.

Ruby gave Changming's long-winded speech some thought. After a moment, the young huntress in training looked over at the young Sub-Zero and gave him a small grateful smile. Changming returned the smile with one of his own. Professor Ozpin, seeing that Changming had the situation under control, silently walked away with a content smile on his face.

'Thank you Changming,' he thought to himself.

 **(Weiss's conversation with both Tadashi & Professor Port)**

"Excuse me?" Weiss asked in a shocked manner.

"I believe in Professor Ozpin for many years, and the man's never once led me astray," Professor Port stated.

"So you would blindly accept his decision even after seeing how exceptional I am?" she asked with venom.

"That is where you are wrong Schnee," Tadashi stated calmly.

Weiss sent a glare towards the Shirai Ryu, but he didn't back down.

"You think you are superior to everyone because of your family's role in society. You think that everyone is below your level of intellect and capabilities because you "study" and "work hard". True hard work gets you far in life, but sometimes your personality is what gets in the way of what you truly want," he explained.

"What are you jabbering about?" the young heiress asked.

"You claim to be a better leader. But does your personality fit with what being a leader is about. I've been to your house before to speak on behalf of the many workers, both faunus and humans, and what I've seen is nothing but a spoiled family and a heiress who got practically everything she ever wanted," he stated bluntly.

"That is not true!" she protested.

However both Professor Port and Tadashi gave her looks that made her think otherwise.

"Well, that is not entirely true," she said with less confidence.

"My point Schnee is that everything will not be given to you on a silver platter just because you believe to have better skills or qualities than others. You may not be qualified for a certain position in life based on your past decisions, actions, et cetera. However, you can learn to live with the decisions that were made and try to better yourself as an individual and as a teammate rather than complain about your position," Tadashi concluded.

"Mr. Hasashi has a point Ms. Schnee," Professor Port clearified. "What I see in front of me is a young woman who got everything she wanted."

"That's not true," Weiss countered.

However Tadashi and Professor Port gave her deadpanned looks that signaled they don't believe her.

"Well not entirely true," she defended weakly.

"Ms. Schnee. If I may say so, listen to the words of your peers. You will learn a lot from them. If not from your professors, then from them," Professor Port stated.

Tadashi turned towards Professor Port and bid the Grim Studies professor goodnight. He even bid Weiss a goodnight, but it was less pleasant and less friendly than he addressed towards the professor. As he walked past, Weiss looked down at the ground with her hands folded together over her chest contemplating on something. She then made up her decision.

She turned around & said, "Thank you Tadashi."

Tadashi stopped where he was, but didn't turn around. There was a moment of silence before he spoke.

"You're welcome Ms. Schnee. I hope you turn your life around for the better," he stated simply.

Without another word, the young Shirai Ryu continued on to his room.

 **(Several Moments later…)**

Changming was sitting up on the roof again looking up at the shattered moon in the sky. He was thinking about the events that transpired today that he couldn't sleep, so he decided to go back up on the roof and clear his mind.

He sighed before saying to himself, "Today was a hectic day. I hope those two made up. Then again Weiss has two enemies to deal with."

He sighed in frustration. He knew that the Schnee family and the Hasashi family didn't get along, so he knew Weiss had one enemy to deal with. However the young heiress seems to be making enemies out of everyone including an innocent young Rose.

"Changming?" a timid voice called to him.

'Speaking of a young Rose,' Changming thought jokingly.

The young Sub-Zero turned around to see that Ruby was standing behind him in her pajamas, but this time she had a small blanket with her.

"Hey Ruby. What's up?" he asked sincerely. "Are things better between you and Weiss?"

"Yeah. We're cool now. It's just going to take some time. Like you said," she replied with smile.

Changming returned the smile with a smile and gestured for her to join him at his spot. Ruby happily walked over to the young Lin Kuei member and sat down next to him. There was a moment of content silence between the two of them.

"Changming," Ruby called.

"What's up Ruby?" he asked.

"Do you believe in fairy tales?" she asked.

"I don't know Ruby," he responded with uncertainty.

"Oh? Okay," she said awkwardly.

There was another moment of silence before Changming spoke up.

"May I ask, what do you mean by believe in fairy tales?" he questioned.

"Huh?" Ruby asked confused.

"What I'm trying to get at is this. Are you asking me if I believe in the fairy tales themselves, or the messages they have in them," he explained.

"What?" she replied.

Changming sighed and simply dropped the conversation.

'Just another day,' he thought without any humor.


	10. Jaunedice & a Flaming Scorpion Pt 1

**Note: I will explain why I was absent since my last update of my account (April) until now in a proper author's note. For now enjoy this chapter of this story. Sorry again. And thank you for those that have supported during my tough time.**

Chapter 7: Jaunedice & a Flaming Scorpion Pt. 1

Jaune was hunched over panting while leaning on his sword for support. Cardin was simply standing still with his mace lazily slung over his shoulder. He had a smirk on his face as he watched Jaune and his position. He began to laugh because Jaune was already tired and he hasn't even broken a sweat.

"Come on…" Jaune mumbled to himself.

He then gathered up some energy he had left to attempt to land a hit on Cardin. The giant orange-haired hunter in training sidestepped away from the incoming Arc with ease. Jaune turned around and raised his shield up just in time to block an incoming hit from Cardin's mace. However his shield was knocked away upon the collision. Jaune placed both of his hands on the hilt of his sword and charged in again with the sword swinging above his head. He brought the sword down, but it was parried by the larger Cardin. There was a struggle between the two as Jaune pushed against Cardin's mace. Well a struggle for one of the two individuals.

"This is the part where you lose," Cardin said simply.

"Over my dead…" Jaune declared but was cut short.

Cardin cheekily kneed the Arc in the stomach causing him to hunch over and grab his stomach. Jaune was on the ground barely holding himself together. Cardin brought his mace over his head and was about to deliver the final blow, but a buzzer went off and Professor Goodwitch signaled for the fight to end. Cardin stepped aside and let Ms. Goodwitch walk up near the edge of her stage. He stood leaning on his mace with a content and cocky grin while Jaune still was recovering on the ground.

Professor Goodwitch went on to explain about aura levels and what the colors mean on the aura bars. After a brief description of what was to happen in a tournament fight, she addressed Jaune directly.

"Mr. Arc it's been weeks now. Please try to refer to your scroll during combat. Gauging your aura will help you to decide when it is appropriate to attack or when it is better to move onto a more defensive strategy," she explained.

Jaune was looking at his scroll intently. The screen depicted a picture of him with his aura bar low and blinking red.

"We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf now would we?" she asked with a slight hint of humor.

"Dark," Bingwen commented.

Changming elbowed his older cousin.

"Ow! What?" Bingwen complained.

Changming rolled his eyes and gave a frustrated sigh.

"Speak for yourself," Cardin muttered while walking off the stage.

Professor Goodwitch turned her attention back to the rest of the class.

"Alright class we have time for one more fight. Would Mr. Hasashi and Mr. Han please step up to the stage," Professor Goodwitch requested.

"Well this is going to be lively," Mario commented.

Tadashi looked over at Bingwen and gave him a cocky smirk. The older Sub-Zero returned the smirk and began to walk towards the stage. Tadashi did the same except walking around the other side. Once the two reached the stage, they stood about ten feet away from each other. They stood standing straight with their arms to their sides. Professor Goodwitch stood between the two of them.

"Try not to do too much damage. We don't want to have you families pay for the damages because of your fight. The fight ends when I call it. Is that clear?" she addressed.

The two warriors nodded in accord.

"You may begin," she said.

Professor Goodwitch casually walked off the stage to observe this fight. The two stood still for another moment staring each other down. The two bowed to the other in their respective bowing gestures. They then got into separate fighting stances. Bingwen's stance looked like a traditional Muay Thai stance. Tadashi's stance resembled a traditional karate stance. There was another pause before Tadashi rushed towards Bingwen. Tadashi attempted to punch the older Sub-Zero with his right fist, but Bingwen blocked it and countered with a quick kick to Tadashi's abdomen.

Tadashi was sent back away from him, but he quickly recovered by pushing himself off from the ground and flipping back forward. Bingwen smirked and summoned ice to appear in his hands. He then shot ice in front of him and slid on it. Tadashi knew this move all too well. He performed a summersault over Bingwen and then turned around quickly. Bingwen stopped his move and did the same. Tadashi suddenly flicked his wrist forward and shot out a kunai attached to a small chain from his left wrist.

"Get over here!" yelled Tadashi.

Bingwen ducked underneath the on-coming kunai attached to the chain. He then shot an ice beam at Tadahsi. Tadashi smirked and countered with a mini fireball on the ice beam. The collision from the two moves created a mist. This covered up the two fighters and their surrounding area. The other students couldn't see a thing. Amongst the mist however, the other students could hear collisions happening between the two fighters. In that mist, both Tadashi and Bingwen were throwing their fists at each other. Of course the fists didn't get through. Each fighter blocked the other and tried to counter by throwing his own punch or jab, but this process lasted for a while.

After that while, an opportunity presented itself to the young Shirai Ryu. Bingwen attempted to land a heavy blow to Tadashi's temple, but he countered the older Sub-Zero's punch attempt with a block. The momentum was on his side, and the young Lin Kuei was met an uppercut to the chin. Bingwen was sent flying from the misty cloud and he appeared about three feet away from the said cloud. The audience could now see him.

There was a sudden woosh and a small light could be barely seen in the mist. Just then the light got bigger. Tadashi used his flames to disperse the mist in the air obscuring his and everyone's view of the situation. As soon as his flames died, an ice beam that hit him square in the chest met him. He turned into an ice mannequin. Bingwen smirked and then quickly rushed at his rival. He performed a flying kick that caused the ice around Tadashi to shatter, and the young Shirai Ryu flying into one of the nearby pillars creating a small crater in its side.

Bingwen rushed at Tadashi once more with his fist cocked back and ready to knock Tadashi into tomorrow. However the new Scorpion managed get himself out of his crater and duck down just in time to avoid the on-coming fist. Bingwen's fist became embedded into the pillar for a brief moment, but long enough for Tadashi to roll forward and turn around to attack the new Sub-Zero. Bingwen turned around just in time to meet Tadashi's right fist. He stumbled back into the pillar Tadashi crashed into just a moment ago. Tadashi quickly rushed up to him and began laying the smack down on the said Sub-Zero.

After a minute of continuously punching Bingwen into a pulp, Tadashi grabbed him and picked him up. He then roughly threw the Lin Kuei clan head onto the other side of the stage. He quickly looked down at his scroll. His aura was being displayed in the mid yellow. On the other side of the stage, Bingwen slowly got up and heard a beeping coming from his scroll. He looked at it briefly and noticed that his aura bar level was dangerously closing into the red section.

He got up and looked over at Tadashi who was looking over at his scroll. Bingwen got into a battle stance and then charged at the Shirai Ryu with a battle cry. When Tadashi looked up, Bingwen was already in the motion of throwing a right jab at him. He barely blocked the punch and tried to throw a counter punch, but Bingwen blocked that attempt. The two were in a deadlock. Bingwen noticed this and used it to his advantage. He quickly hopped into the air and then proceeded to use both of his legs to kick Tadashi away from him. The kick was strong enough to send the Shirai Ryu's aura closer to the red zone.

The said individual skidded across the stage floor for a moment before flipping himself right back up into his fighting stance. He heard a beeping sound coming from his scroll. He looked over at it and saw that he was nearing the red stage of his aura. Tadashi growled in annoyance and looked back at Bingwen, who had a smug look on his face. Tadashi ran straight at him intending to end the fight with one punch. Little did he know that Bingwen had the same thought and charged too. Right before the two met at center stage, the two fighters had their fists reared back ready to knock the other out.

When they reached the center and were a mere few feet away from one another, they each sent their fists at the other's jawline. There was a loud smack that rang throughout the entire theater-like room. There was a moment of silence followed by two large and loud thuds that could be heard throughout the room.

 **(Moments later…)**

"Ow! (Chewing) Ow! (More chewing) Ow!"

"Will you shut up already?" Mario addressed Bingwen.

"It hurts to eat. Ow! And talk… Ow!" Bingwen complained.

"Well if you guys didn't aim to break each other's jaws, you wouldn't be in this situation would you Bingwen," Changming scolded.

"You sound like mom. Ow!" Bingwen retorted.

"You could've just broken each other's legs," Nora recommended.

"Nora!" Ren scolded.

Nora gave a little bop to her head, closed one eye and stuck her tongue out.

'Does anyone even know what that means?' Changming thought after seeing Nora's gesture.

Tadashi was eating a bowl of oatmeal silently. He was showing less discomfort than Bingwen was, but he was still hurting none of the less. Teams RWBY, JNPR, and CMBT were all sitting together eating lunch. The only thing was that both the Shirai Ryu descendant and Lin Kuei descendant were hurting. Both Tadashi's aura and Bingwen's aura levels were lower than they had anticipated; therefore, they didn't have enough auras to protect themselves when they simultaneously punched each other square in the jaw.

While everyone else was talking, or rather listening to Nora tell her dream to the others, and doing other things at the same time, Jaune was a bit glum. He sat in silence simply picking and staring at his food. The only three that noticed were Pyrrha, Ruby, and Changming. Pyrrha looked over at Changming who simply nodded. It would appear that they were having a mental conversation about their blonde friend.

"Jaune are you okay?" Pyrrha asked with concern.

"Huh? Uh oh yeah… Why?" he responded unconvincingly.

"It's just that you seem a little… not okay," Ruby said.

Everyone, minus Weiss who was doing her nails, had their attention now focused on the young blonde hunter to be.

"Guys I'm fine. Seriously look," he replied with nervous laughter.

He held his thumbs up and gave them a not so reassuring smile. Just then the group heard some mocking and laughing occurring behind them. They all turned around to see Team CRDL picking on a faunus girl with rabbit ears. She was sitting all by herself.

'Where's her team?' Changming questioned.

There was a sudden thud on the table. Everyone, including a certain heiress, turned to see Tadashi seething with rage and hate in his eyes. The thud they heard was him slamming his fist into the table creating a nice dent in it.

"Jaune. Cardin has been picking on you since the first week of school," Pyrrha returned her attention on her team leader.

"Who? Cardin Winchester?" Jaune tried to deny. "Nah… He just likes to mess around you know? Practical jokes."

"He's a bully," Ruby stated firmly.

"Oh please. Name one time he's "bullied" me," Jaune countered.

'Poor choice of words my friend,' Changming thought.

"Well there was the time he smacked your books out from your hands," Mario said.

"There was the time he activated your shield while you were walking into class, and it got wedged into the doorway," Bingwen stated simply.

"And the time he shoved you into a locker and sent you flying into the Emerald Forest," Changming added.

There was a moment of silence. Everyone was staring at Jaune during that silence.

"Oh come on Changming! I didn't land that far from the school," he attempted to joke.

"You know Jaune, you can always ask for help," Pyrrha tried to reason.

"She's right. We're all here to train together. That's why we have teammates," Changming pointed out.

"Oh! We'll break his legs," Nora suggested.

"I'm gonna do more than that," Tadashi declared honestly while still watching the faunus girl get bullied.

"Guys really! It's fine. Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me. He's a jerk to everyone," he tried to play it off.

Just then they heard cries coming from the faunus girl. The group turned to see that Cardin was tugging roughly on the ears of the girl while mocking her. Tadashi abruptly stood up from the bench and began to walk over to Team CRDL. The other three members of Team CMBT looked at one another and then sighed and shook their heads.

"Well this is going to end horribly," Bingwen observed.

"For us and for them," Mario stated.

"Can't you two be of any help?" Changming questioned.

The two looked at each other before both replying a "no". Changming sighed and began to follow the now enraged Shirai Ryu.

"The people that I'm forced to work with," Changming mumbled to himself.

"I told you it was real," Cardin mocked while holding one of the girl's ears in his fist.

Suddenly a hand grabbed his wrist and rung it back to the point there was a loud snap and his wrist was broken. Cardin yelled in pain as he sunk into the ground. The individual who was holding his wrist was still holding it. He looked up to see the cold eyes of Tadashi who was pissed. The rest of Team CRDL was going to help their leader out, but there was a shoulder tap on Russell's shoulder. He turned around and was met by one of the food trays slamming into his face. The two turned around to see what happened, but they were swiftly taken out. Cardin turned to see Changming, Bingwen, and Mario each holding an unconscious member of his team.

"Damn you Faunus lover," he growled at Tadashi.

Tadashi replied by punching him in the face with his free hand and breaking his nose in the process. Cardin grunted in pain and yanked his wrist free from Tadashi's grip. It had seen better days. Cardin wiped his nose to see blood all over his non-broken hand and fingers. Tadashi roughly grabbed him by the collar and brought him up to his face. Cardin was scared. He couldn't do much with his situation. He was taller and slightly bigger than Tadashi, but Tadashi had the training to put him down.

"You listen to me Winchester, and I hope you hear me loud and clear," Tadashi warned.

Cardin looked at him straight in the eyes. His stare was enough to have Tadashi continue.

"If I ever find you hurting another Faunus on this campus, or anywhere else on school grounds, I will have your head Cardin," he sneered at the bully who was now quivering in fear on the ground.

With that, Tadashi released the coward while the other three brought his unconscious teammates to the infirmary. He halted for a moment and turned his attention back at Cardin.

"I take that back. What I meant to say was if you hurt a Faunus or other human being, then I will have your head," he warned.

He then continued on his way to the infirmary and the next class.

 **(The next day…)**

We find our main protagonists sitting in their history class hearing a lecture from Dr. Oobleck about the Faunus War. Well most of them were listening. A certain young blonde warrior was currently sleeping. Team CMBT were all listening and following the professor, or at least trying to follow him physically. The green haired man moves at least at a minimum of 50 miles per hour. He speaks as fast as he moves.

As he was lecturing, a certain Scorpion was deep in thought. Tadashi pondered about yesterday's events relating to the Faunus girl yesterday.

'Where is the girl's teammates? They should not have left her on her own,' he pondered.

Changming looked over at his friend and teammate who was sitting next to Jaune in another section of rows. Tadashi had non-stop thought about the girl that had been bullied yesterday evening. Apparently the said person went up to him yesterday and thanked him for his kind gesture. Tadashi said that her name was Velvet. She didn't say much after her thanks. Velvet was sitting to the right of Changming. She still seemed nervous and shy. She would barely look up from her desk.

As he was lost in his own thoughts, Cardin was up to no good once again. He created a small flick paper football and flicked it at Jaune who was still asleep. Professor Oobleck had just asked a question. The paper football hit the back of Jaune's head causing the young Arc to wake up. An excited Professor Oobleck quickly approached the startled Arc.

"Ah Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent! Excellent!" he exclaimed with joy.

Jaune gulped and Tadashi glared at Cardin who simply gave him a victory smirk.

"What is the answer?" Oobleck asked him.

Mario face palmed, Bingwen sighed, and Changming simply banged his head on his desk.

"I'm going to try and not cringe," Bingwen commented.

"I have to agree with you on this," Mario added.

"Uhhh… The answer is…" Jaune hesitated.

He looked over the professor's shoulder to see Pyrrha trying to make a gesture that was supposed to be that of night vision, but he interpreted incorrectly.

"Binoculars!" Jaune concluded with confidence.

Unfortunately that confidence was about to be shut down. Changming banged his head on the desk again, Mario face palmed and sighed, and Bingwen tried to stifle his laugh. Again the key word was "TRIED". Everyone else in the room laughed at his "joke". Tadashi sighed in frustration. Jaune became down, but the Shirai Ryu gave him a pat on the back for trying. This was a rare gesture for the young Scorpion.

"Very funny Mr. Arc," Professor Oobleck said simply.

He then turned his attention on Cardin.

"Cardin! Perhaps you would like to share you thoughts on the subject!" he addressed.

Cardin was leaning back in his chain with his feet on the desk. He looked down at the professor with a nonchalant attitude.

"Well I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier," he replied ignorantly.

Professor Oobleck shook his head in disapproval. Pyrrha was about to say something, but Tadashi beat her to the chase.

"You're fairly ignorant aren't you Winchester. You're as dumb as you look," he commented.

"What was that Hisashi?" Cardin growled.

Tadashi stood up and turned around to look at the bully straight in the eyes.

"Perhaps you forgot about yesterday. Don't think I forgot about what you did to Velvet," he said.

"Please. Can't you see that the issues of today's society are caused by the Faunus," he replied.

Tadashi clenched his fists, but remained where he was.

"There are two sides to every story. Sadly you only heard one side and bought the story. We have history for a reason Winchester, and it's to learn from the past to ensure the present and future will be better than before," he stated firmly.

"Animals have no feelings Hisashi. That's why they do what we ask. They're our servants," Cardin retorted.

That was the last straw. Tadashi was about to leap up and strangle Cardin, but Changming saw it coming. He immediately went on to tackle the Shirai Ryu. Mario and Bingwen also jumped down to help contain the "Raging Flame".

"Let me go! I'll have his head!" Tadashi bellowed while struggling.

"Calm down Tadashi!" Changming ordered.

The three Lin Kuei struggled to get him out of the classroom, but they managed to get him out to let him cool off. The entire class was silent after the little display from Tadashi. After another minute, Pyrrha decided to speak her piece.

"You're not the most open-minded of individuals are you Cardin?" Pyrrha asked with venom.

"What you got a problem? We got another Faunus lover in here," Cardin stated without a care.

"No, I have the answer. It's night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly perfect sight in the dark," she answered.

Cardin growled at her and looked back at the front. Blake decided to elaborate more on Pyrrha's answer.

"General Lagune was inexperienced and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the General was captured," she said.

Professor Oobleck nodded in approval and took a sip of his coffee.

"Perhaps if he paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as a failure," Blake added.

The class "oooed" at Blake's jeer towards Cardin. Cardin got up to do something about it, but a ceratin Lin Kuei with smokey hair stood between him and the two girls.

"Stand down Cardin," Mario warned.

"Mr. Winchester! Please take your seat!" Professor Oobleck ordered.

Team CMBT had just reentered the room as the little quarrel ended. Tadashi was now calmer than he was moments ago, but he was still angry about Cardin's words and actions. Jaune snickered at Cardin's demise, but he was soon to join him. Professor Oobleck sped over to where Jaune was. He spoke as if tell both Jaune and Cardin that they have extra readings to do. He turned his attention towards Tadashi and addressed him.

"Mr. Hisashi. I would like to have a word with you later," he said simply.

Tadashi looked over at his teacher and nodded.

"Now! Moving on!" the Professor said while speeding away.

 **(Moments later…)**

Jaune and Cardin were exiting at the same time. However Jaune stopped to see Pyrrha waiting for him outside of the classroom and he paid the price. Cardin came up behind him and pushed him over. Pyrrha went over to Jaune to help him up while sending Cardin a glare, to which he ignored.

Professor Oobleck sped out of the classroom not too long after the incident. Tadashi slowly walked out of the classroom shortly afterwards. He then headed off back towards the dorms to ponder about what Professor Oobleck had just discussed with him. He took a little detour towards an area he knows has roof access. When he reached the said location, he noticed the door was already open. He also heard voices. He leaned against the wall next to the doorframe to listen.

"We can train up here after class where no one can bother us," he heard Pyrrha say.

He peeked around the corner to see that Pyrrha was speaking with Jaune.

"You think I need help?" Jaune asked hesitantly.

"N-No! No! That's not what I meant," Pyrrha pleaded.

"But you just said it," Jaune's voice sounded glum.

Tadashi decided to leave, as he did not want to linger and listen to a private conversation. He did feel some pity for the young Arc, but at the same time, he felt that Jaune should've waited a year or two to better himself and then transfer to Beacon when he was truly ready. However knowing Professor Ozpin, he has a special reason for Jaune being at this academy. He continued to walk to his dorm room deep in thought.

 **(Later that evening on the rooftop…)**

Changming was sitting on the roof again deep in thought about Jaune and his predicament. Sitting on the roof to reflect on each day's events has become part of his everyday routine. Of course, he is usually joined by a young Rose about fifteen minutes into his reflection.

"Hey Changming!" a familiar voice greeted him.

'Speaking of timing,' Changming thought amusingly.

He turned around to see Ruby in her usual pajama outfit, but this time she brought two glasses of milk and some cookies in a plastic sack. She had a huge smile on her face.

Changming smiled & replied, "Hey Rubes. How are ya?"

"Good. Thanks for asking Changming," she said. "I brought you some milk and cookies."

Changming chuckled a bit. He didn't have a sweet tooth like Ruby did, but he wasn't about to turn down the girl's offer.

"Thanks Ruby," he said sincerely.

Ruby sat down next to him and gave him his glass of milk. She then placed the plastic sack full of cookies between them. She immediately grabbed two cookies and began to munch on both of them. Ruby finished the two cookies in ten seconds and then quickly grabbed another one. She practically inhaled her third cookie. Changming sweat dropped and simply refrained from even attempting to reach in the bag and grab a cookie for the fear of getting his fingers getting accidentally chewed on. Ruby happily ate her cookies while humming.

He watched her for a little bit. For some reason, he felt his heart skip a beat. Changming paused for a moment. He thought about what had just transpired, but he quickly dismissed the feeling and shook it off. He decided to turn his attention towards the night sky with the shattered moon illuminating the night sky. Ruby stopped munching on her eighth cookie and looked over at the quite Sub-Zero.

"You alright Changming? You're oddly quite tonight," Ruby asked with concern.

"Sorry Rubes. I'm just deep in thought, that's all," he replied without looking at her.

"It's about Jaune isn't it?" she questioned.

"Right on the money Rubes," Changming simply answered.

"He just needs some help. He's not the best fighter, but he's a good friend," Ruby commented.

"True, but you can only lead a horse to water Ruby. You can't force it to drink," he stated.

"What do you mean?" she asked confused.

Changming took a moment of silence still looking up at the moon.

"Jaune is a good person. However it is up to him on whether or not he wants the help. We can offer it to him, but we can't force him to accept our offer. He's in control of his own destiny Ruby. We can't make the decisions for him," Changming said wisely.

"But why wouldn't he take it?" she further questioned.

Changming smiled at her & said, "You're just full of questions aren't you Ruby?"

Ruby giggled & replied, "Yeah, I guess so."

Changming kept the smile on his face for a brief moment more, but then he went back into a neutral phase and looked back up at the moon. There was another brief moment of silence before he decided to answer Ruby's question.

"To answer your question just a moment ago Ruby, Jaune wouldn't take our offer to help him because he wants to prove that he can be strong and independent on his own. While that is a wonderful and incredible feat, Jaune is not that type of person to do things on his own. We're all put on teams for a reason. We all have to help each other with both our strengths and weaknesses. If Jaune can't see that, then pride will swallow him whole and he'll lose himself," Changming answered.

"Okay. So what steps do we take from here?" Ruby asked curiously.

"We wait and see what he'll have to say about it. Like I said, we can't rush him," he repeated.

"Oh, okay. You know you're very insightful on these things Changming. You should be a counselor of some sort," Ruby complimented.

Changming looked over at her & asked, "You really think so?"

"Yeah! You're like a really intelligent and wise master," Ruby continued with her complimenting.

Changming and Ruby both burst into fits of laughter. Little did the two know, there was an eavesdropper listening to the entire conversation. Bingwen was leaning against one of the stone chimneys on the roof with his arms crossed over his chest. He had a small smile on his face as he listened to his younger cousin laugh with the young Rose.

'Thank you Ruby, for being in his life,' he thought to himself. 'I can't wait for what the future has in store for you two. Hopefully it's filled with nothing but positivity and goodness.'

With that thought, Bingwen headed down from the roof and back into his dorm room without the two younger hunters to be noticing him. However as he left, there was a slight shift in the wind. This caused Changming to look around for a brief moment. Luckily, he didn't see Bingwen, but he did feel as if another presence was there.

"You okay?" Ruby asked as she watched him look around them.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine Rubes. Thanks for asking," he replied with a sheepish grin.

Ruby giggled. Suddenly, a thought appeared in her head.

"By the way Changming, when did you start calling me Rubes? Only Yang has called me that," she asked curiously.

Changming paused for a moment contemplating on what the young Rose had just asked.

"You know Rubes, I don't exactly remember when I started calling you that. I think I kept hearing your sister say it and it kind of stuck," he answered.

Ruby sighed. Changming knew that this was a sigh of irritation because of a family member's slip of information. He experienced this with Bingwen for majority of his life. Nothing was kept in secret when Bingwen was told something secret.

"Do you not want me to call you Rubes anymore Ruby?" Changming asked politely.

"Oh no, you can call me Rubes. It's no problem at all. It's just that Yang got into a habit of calling me Rubes that sometimes I think my real name is Rubes," she replied.

Changming chuckled & said, "Alright. Since it's okay with you, I'll go ahead and keep calling you Rubes."

 **(From a rooftop nearby…)**

Raiden watched from two roofs over while leaning against the chimney of the roof. He smiled as he listened to the entire conversation. He was going to speak with Changming, but Ruby had beaten him to it. Instead of interrupting them, the Thunder God simply leaned back and watched the two. He also noticed Bingwen snooping around, but he didn't call him out.

"Perhaps I'll talk with him tomorrow. Enjoy yourself young Sub-Zero," he said quietly.


	11. Note

I am currently encountering both a writer's block, & form of hiatus. I'm having trouble putting the stories together in terms of character insertion & plot, and my family is trying to recover from the affects of Hurricane Harvey in Houston. I understand that I haven't updated since a month + ago. I've been writing and rewriting and editing and deleting parts of chapters and whole chapters because none of it adds up. Please have some patience with me. I will try to overcome the writer's block when I can. As far as my families' situation, it'll take about another two to three months to help repair and buy new things for their house.


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